California expands moratorium on rat poison

In a win for wildlife advocates, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill expanding a previous moratorium on rat poison.

The legislation, AB 1322, places a moratorium on diphacinone, a first-generation anticoagulant rat poison. First-generation poisons are those developed before 1970 and include diphacinone, chlorpophacinone and warfarin, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The latest legislation is an expansion on a similar bill passed in 2020, which placed a moratorium on second-generation rodenticides, those developed after 1970.

“These poisons are now being studied and these poisons are showing up in animals,” said Kian Schulman, of Poison Free Malibu, a nonprofit aimed at protecting wildlife, children and pets by educating people about pesticides.

Diphacinone is used to kill “target animals” like rats or squirrels, but it stays in the food chain, causing great suffering and death, she said.

“Rat poison indiscriminately harms animals up and down the food chain, making them more susceptible to disease and causing internal bleeding and death,” said Tiffany Yap, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Indeed, rodenticides have been found in the bodies of dead wildlife across Southern California in recent years.

Last year, P-54, a pregnant mountain lion that was being tracked by the National Park Service and died after being hit by a vehicle in the Malibu area, was found to have multiple anticoagulant rodenticides in her system. In 2020, both a mountain lion and a bobcat died from the direct effects of anticoagulant rat poisons in Northridge and Agoura Hills, respectively.

Those aren’t the only animals affected. Wildlife like raccoons and birds of prey also die from eating the animals targeted in rodenticides, Joel Schulman said.

Opponents of the moratorium say it goes too far. Rodenticide Task Force, which describes itself as a group of industry professionals, educators and scientists, lists a number of drawbacks. Among the drawbacks the group names are increased costs for rodent control – which are passed on to consumers – increased transmission of diseases like hantavirus and plague, and property damage.

However, the Schulmans contend there are affordable and natural ways to control rodent populations, like having more secure storage bins or placing birds of prey in agricultural fields.

Additionally, the legislation has some carve-outs for agriculture, water infrastructure, biotech and emergency pest infestations, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.