A Review of Toxicological Research on Sodium Monofluoroacetate (1080) and its Policy Implications

Abstract

Sodium monofluoroacetate (1080) is used for large-scale pest control operations in New Zealand, to control the brush tailed possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) (an introduced marsupial pest). Wide-scale opposition to the use of 1080 has grown in recent years with the development of a substantial “anti-1080” lobby. Concerns for public health and effects on non-target animals among critics of 1080 have prompted the Department of Conservation to seek a review of the chemical by the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA). In 2002 ERMA declared its intention to undertake this review, but in May 2003 announced that the review would be postponed due to impending adjustments to the HSNO Act. This report was prepared in anticipation of this official review and encompasses an independent evaluation of the peer-reviewed scientific literature on the risks associated with the use of 1080, in order to ascertain the degree to which regulations on 1080 reflect current scientific knowledge of the toxicology of this poison. Key areas of concern revealed in the literature include evidence that 1080 could have endocrine disrupting capabilities, and that it is relatively slow to break down at low temperatures (when microbial activity is low). These two issues are yet to be fully resolved through further research and represent significant gaps in current knowledge. If regulations are to take full account of current science on 1080 they will need to acknowledge and reflect what is known, the gaps in this knowledge, and the risks associated with this uncertainty. Recommendations include further targeted research to fill these gaps in current knowledge, regulatory precaution until such research is completed, and explorations of alternative methods to be used either in conjunction with, or (perhaps in certain areas) instead of this toxin.