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Abstract

How to cite this article: D'Silva C, Krishna B. Rodenticide Poisoning. Indian J Crit Care Med 2019;23(Suppl 4):S272–S277.

Keywords: Aluminium/zinc phosphide, Hydroxycoumarins, Rodenticide, Yellow phosphorous

INTRODUCTION

Rodenticides, commonly referred to as “rat poisons,” are chemical agents aimed at eliminating small rodents. The common targets for their use are household rodents i.e. rats/mice, squirrels, gophers, etc. Controlling rodents is imperative as they are vectors for spread of disease, destroy crops/grains, and multiply rapidly.

India being a primarily agrarian country, rodenticides are widely used and also freely available. They are available in various formulations as powders, pastes, pellets, cereal baits, or blocks. Developing a rodenticide has its challenges as rodents do not feed on what appears to be toxic to them (primary bait refusal) and do not feed twice on what they suspect to be poisonous (bait shyness). An ideal rodenticide is one that is highly toxic to rodents in small quantities, nontoxic to nontarget species, and avoids bait shyness and bait refusal.