EPA Takes Major Actions to Reduce Americans Risks from Mouse and Rat Poisons / Move will better protect children, pets and wildlife (HQ)
WASHINGTON – To better protect children, pets and wildlife,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it is
moving to ban the sale to residential consumers of the most toxic
rat and mouse poisons, as well as most loose bait and pellet
products. The agency is also requiring that all newly registered
rat and mouse poisons marketed to residential consumers be enclosed
in bait stations that render the pesticide inaccessible to children
and pets. Wildlife that consume bait or poisoned rodents will also
be protected by EPA’s actions.
“These changes are essential to reduce the
thousands of accidental exposures of children that occur every year
from rat and mouse control products and also to protect household
pets,” said Steve Owens, assistant administrator for
EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
“Today’s action will help keep our children and pets
safe from these poisons.”
Children are particularly at risk for exposure
to rat and mouse poisons because the products are typically placed
on floors, and because young children sometimes place bait pellets
in their mouths. The American Association of Poison Control Centers
annually receives between 12,000 and 15,000 reports of children
under the age of six being exposed to these types of
products.
In 2008, EPA gave producers of rat and mouse
poison until June 4, 2011 to research, develop and register new
products that would be safer for children, pets and wildlife. Over
the past three years, EPA has worked with a number of companies to
achieve that goal, and there are now new products on the market
with new bait delivery systems and less toxic baits. These products
are safer to children, as well as pets and wildlife, but still
provide effective rodent control for residential
consumers.
While many companies that produce rat and mouse
poison products have agreed to adopt the new safety measures, a
handful of companies have advised EPA that they do not plan to do
so. Consequently, EPA intends to initiate cancellation proceedings
under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, the
federal pesticide law, against certain non-compliant products
marketed by the following companies to remove them from the
market:
· Reckitt
Benckiser Inc. (makers of D-Con, Fleeject, and Mimas rodent control
products)
· Woodstream
Inc. (makers of Victor rodent control products)
· Spectrum
Group (makers of Hot Shot rodent control products)
· Liphatech
Inc. (makers of Generation, Maki, and Rozol rodent control
products)
In addition to requiring more-protective bait stations and
prohibiting pellet formulations, EPA intends to ban the sale and
distribution of rodenticide products containing brodifacoum,
bromadiolone, difethialone and difenacoum directly to residential
consumers because of their toxicity and the secondary poisoning
hazards to wildlife. These rodenticides will still be available for
use in residential settings, but only by professional pest control
applicators. The compounds will also be allowed for use in
agricultural settings; however, bait stations will be required for
all outdoor, above-ground uses to minimize exposure to children,
pets and wildlife.
To help avoid rat and mouse infestations in and
around homes, EPA stresses the importance of rodent prevention and
identification measures such as:
· Sealing
holes inside and outside the home to prevent entry by rats and
mice
· Cleaning up
potential rodent food sources and nesting sites
· Looking for
rat and mice droppings around the kitchen
· Keeping an
eye out for nesting material such as shredded paper, fabric or
dried plant matter
· Finding
evidence of gnawing and chewing on food packaging or
structures
EPA also urges consumers to keep the following
tips in mind whenever using rodenticides in their
homes:
· Always place
traps and baits in places where children and pets cannot reach
them
· Use all
products according to label directions and precautions
· Be sure to
select traps that are appropriate to the type and size of rodent
(e.g., rat vs. mouse)
More information on rat and mouse products that
meet EPA’s safety standard: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/mice-and-rats
More tips and information on controlling
rodents: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/controlling/rodents.htm