RI Senate Passes Bill To Ban Sale Of Rat Poisions That Endanger Wildlife

PROVIDENCE, RI — The Rhode Island state Senate passed a bill to ban the sale of rat poisons that endanger wildlife.

The proposed law would prohibit the sale of first-generation anticoagulant rodenticides to consumers in Rhode Island starting March 1, and prohibit the sale of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides beginning Jan. 1, 2028, according to a media release.

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Anticoagulant rodenticides kill by preventing blood clotting.

"First generation anticoagulants require multiple feedings to kill, which means a rodent that has eaten them will continue to live with them in its system, transferring some of that poison to a predator if it is eaten before consuming enough poison to be lethal," the release said.

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"Since raptors can eat thousands of rodents a year, they can be sickened and killed by their cumulative effect," according to the release.

"Second-generation anticoagulants are more potent, and can be lethal in a single dose," the release said. "They also pose a danger if predators or scavengers eat an affected rodent or if another animal eats the product."

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The bill was sponsored by Senate Health and Human Services Committee Chairwoman Melissa Murray, D-Woonsocket and North Smithfield.

"These products are meant to kill rats, but they do great harm to raptors and other wildlife, and they are a risk to children and pets," Murray said in the release.

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"Their poison accumulates in the bodies of species who eat rodents who have consumed the products, and ironically winds up killing raptors, who are an important part of the food chain that controls the rat population,” Murray said.

The bill now heads to the state House of Representatives.

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