EPA seeks to ban sale of potent rat poison.

Byline: Susan Palmer The Register-Guard

New rules proposed for rat poison would end over-the-counter sales of the most toxic of the chemicals and could go a long way toward protecting children, pets and wildlife, say safety experts and environmental activists.

The new regulations, proposed on Wednesday by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, will be subject to public comment for 60 days before being adopted.

"This is a victory for birds and mammals, but it's also a real victory for children," said Michael Fry, director of the American Bird Conservancy's pesticides and birds program.

Between 12,000 and 15,000 children under the age of 6 encounter rodent poisons each year, according to the American Poison Control Center. While fatalities are rare, there is a potential risk from the chemicals, which thin the blood and can lead to uncontrolled internal bleeding.

But wildlife - particularly birds - face a grave risk, either by eating rodents that have ingested the poison or by consuming poison-laced bait.

The EPA's records show that rat poison has been detected in a range of animal carcasses - mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, squirrels, deer and 27 species of birds. Few states actively track the cause of wildlife deaths, but in California, residue of the rodent poisons has been found in 27 of 32 kit fox carcasses. The small fox is an endangered species. In New York the poisons were found in 43 of 53 great horned owls and 45 of 78 red-tailed hawks.

"There is no reason to believe that wildlife mortality incidents associated with (rodenticides) are exclusive to these two states," the EPA noted in its proposal to change the rules.

Under the new rules, three chemicals - brodifacoum, bromodialone and difethialone - would be banned from household use, but would still be available for use by certified pesticide applicators. Known as second-generation anticoagulants, the poisons work by inhibiting the absorption of vitamin K, which leads to internal bleeding and death.

Six other rodent poisons will continue to be available to homeowners, but they will be sold only in tamper-resistent bait stations, making them inaccessible to pets and children.

"The formulation of products like d-Con will change," Fry said. "They'll go back to less toxic versions."

Licensed pest control companies will still be able to use the more lethal products, but when they use them outdoors, they must be in tamper-resistant bait stations that would block access to animals such as deer, squirrels and pets.

HOW TO COMMENT Contact the EPA: By March 19 online at www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for commenting on docket identification number: EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0955.

Snail mail: Write the EPA at the Office of Pesticide Programs, Regulatory Public Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC 20460.