1080 : a selective poison for pests

Authors

D R. King

Keywords

Sodium fluoroacetate, Pest control, Vertebrate pests

Disciplines

Other Animal Sciences | Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Toxicology

First Page Number

12

Last Page Number

14

ISSN

0021-8618

Abstract

Since the 1960s, the control programmes for rabbits and dingoes in Western Australia have relied heavily on the use of sodium monofluoroacetate, more commonly known as compound 1080. Large quantaties are used each year as it is a valuable substance for the control of vertebrate pests.

Once in the animal's body 1080 is converted to fluorocitrate, a poison which is highly toxic to most mammals. Fluorocitrate blocks the Krebs cycle, a fundamental pathway of energy exchange in animals and plants. The animal dies as a result of damage to the heart, or to the brain and central nervous system, or both.

Recommended Citation

King, D R. (1984) "1080 : a selective poison for pests," Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4: Vol. 25: No. 1, Article 6.
Available at: https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/journal_agriculture4/vol25/iss1/6