How does 1080 effect plant and bird popn?

Question

How does 1080 effect plant and bird popn?

Answer 1

Compound 1080 is a white fluffy powder that is odourless and tasteless. 1080 was first synthesised in Europe in 1896 and developed in the USA as a rodenticide during the 1940s. It was first used as a rabbit poison in Tasmania in 1952. It is now widely used in Australia and New Zealand to control pest animals.

In the field it is mixed with bait material, usually chopped carrot, to provide a final concentration of 0.014 per cent of the active ingredient.

There is a definite risk of accidental poisoning of sheep, cattle, goats, horses and pigs, so every care must be taken to keep stock away from a poisoned area until all uneaten poisoned bait is removed.

There is a high risk of secondary poisoning if dogs eat poisoned rabbits or possums.

1080  is a 'super' toxic poison. One teaspoon is sufficient to kill between 30 and 100 men each weighing 150 pounds. There is no known antidote. It is odourless, tasteless and soluble in water and has been evaluated for use for use in chemical warfare.

Recognising its dangers, 1080 was banned in the United States back in 1972. The ban was lifted in 1982, but its use today is very strictly controlled and only by licensed and trained personnel. NGOs in the US are chasing an outright ban. By contrast, the use of 1080 in Australia is widespread and poorly controlled. Incredibly, it can still be aerially dropped.

Death by 1080 poison is one of the most cruel and inhumane ways in which an animal can die. Consumption through ingestion results in a painfully slow death over several hours from convulsions, cardiac arrest, failure of the central nervous system and respiratory arrest.

Answer 2

Most of this stuff is WWII nerve gas, herbicides, insecticides, etc.  We are dumping billions of pounds of this c**p onto the planet.