Sodium fluoroacetate (1080) - CAS No. CAS No. 62-74-8
Chances are slim that the toxin, possibly stolen inadvertently, will be found.
By Tom Alex and Perry Beeman.
Des Moines Register (Iowa). September 20, 2005.
 
 
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September 20, 2005

Des Moines Register (Iowa)

Chances are slim that the toxin, possibly stolen inadvertently, will be found.

By TOM ALEX and PERRY BEEMAN
REGISTER STAFF WRITERS

A 1-ounce can of coyote poison believed to have been inside a stolen safe might have made its way to the Des Moines metro area's primary garbage dump, officials said Monday.

A spokeswoman at the Metro Park East landfill in Mitchellville said chances were slim that the small, metal container could be found among the 1,700 tons of trash that arrive daily.

Federal officials warn that the banned poison, sodium fluoroacetate, can cause a range of health problems to anyone who breathes or otherwise ingests it.

Police said they were told the chemical was in a can inside a safe that was stolen last week from the home of Richard Mugan at 2722 Payne Road in Des Moines.

The contents of the safe, sans the potent toxin, were found in a bag on the south side of the city over the weekend. Papers were recovered, but the safe was tossed in a garbage bin near Southeast Eighth and Raccoon streets.

Police Lt. Ray Rexroat said Anthony Bordenaro, 28, has been charged in the break-in. Police have been unable to confirm that the poison was in the safe. They don't know what time the safe was dumped, either, but it probably occurred before authorities learned about the poison.

"Maybe if they called us right away, and we knew which truck picked it up, we could narrow it down to an acre or two," Metropolitan Waste Authority spokeswoman Sarah Rasmussen said.

If the poison was released in the landfill, it would be diluted by rain and collected underground, then sent to a sewage-treatment plant or a wetland that filters out contaminants, both of which would limit exposure and toxicity.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports from other incidents that a woman who swallowed the compound suffered nausea and abdominal pain and later had neurological problems. A man who breathed the compound experienced speech loss and convulsions and lapsed into a coma, the agency reported.

The compound has been used to kill rodents and coyotes. It was banned for most uses in 1990, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Some countries prohibit any use of the chemical.

Mugan, owner of Midwest Pest Management, said he had planned to dispose of the poison.

If the container landed in the dump, it immediately mixed with about 3.4 million pounds of fresh garbage. Landfill employees looked for the 1-ounce can, Rasmussen said. But with no information on what day it was picked up or which truck dumped it, the search was fruitless.

Such searches are not always hopeless. Last year, workers found an engagement ring that had been lost.

Compound facts
NAME: Sodium fluoroacetate, or Compound 1080.
DESCRIPTION: A natural organic fluorine extracted from a West African plant. The missing can was made of tin, with a yellow label that featured a skull and crossbones.
USES: Compound 1080 was registered for coyote and rodent control, particularly in areas where human contact was unlikely. Since 1990, it has been used only in livestock collars to kill predatory coyotes.
AMOUNT: Yearly usage of Compound 1080 is less than 1.5 ounces.
SYMPTOMS: Convulsions, labored breathing, loss of consciousness.

Emergency numbers

• If you see the missing chemical, call (515) 283-4811.

• If you have any poison emergency, call (800) 222-1222.

• If a victim has collapsed or is unconscious, call 911. Landfill searched for coyote poison

Copyright © 2004, The Des Moines Register.

Note: See Sept 17, 2005: Warning issued over stolen poison

 
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