E.P.A. and Reckitt Benckiser Incorporated Reach Arrangement to Cancel Certain Rodenticide Products

WASHINGTON - The E.P.A. (EPA) has reached arrangement with Reckitt Benckiser Incorporated to cancel twelve d-CON mouse and rat poison products that do not currently comply with E.P.A. safety standards.

"Millions of households use mouse and rat poison products each year. Canceling these products will help prevent risks to children, pets and wildlife," said Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. "This voluntary move will get us far faster results than would otherwise be achieved through an administrative process."

Before E.P.A. tightened the safety requirements for household rat and mouse poison products, in excess of 10,000 children a year were accidentally exposed. Since the new standard took effect, the number of children exposed has decreased. The agency worked with a number of companies to develop safer mouse and rat poison products that are effective, affordable and widely available.

The cancellation of these twelve d-CON products that do not comply with current requirements will continue the trend of reduced exposure to children, pets and wildlife. The company has agreed to stop production by the end of the year and stop distribution to retailers by March 31, 2015. The new requirements require consumer mouse and rat poison products to be housed in protective bait stations.

Pellets and other bait forms that cannot be secured in bait stations are prohibited. E.P.A. also prohibits the sale of products containing brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difethialone and difenacoum to residential consumers because of their greater risk to wildlife such as mountain lions, eagles, wolves and foxes.

For more information, visit:
http://www2.epa.gov/rodenticides/canceling-some-d-con-mouse-and-rat-control-products

For a complete list of the homeowner use rat and mouse products that meet EPA's safety standards, visit:
http://www2.epa.gov/rodenticides/choosing-bait-station-household-use

There are currently no comments for this story. Be the first to add a comment!
Click here to add a comment about this story.