Victory: d-Con To Be Killed Off
The rodent killer d-CON—which also kills pets and poisons children—will cease being made by year's end under an agreement reached with the EPA.
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d-CON—the rodent killer that also poisons children and slaughters cats, dogs and a host of wild creatures—will stop being made by year’s end under an agreement reached by the manufacturer and the Environmental Protection Agency.
This is a major victory for Earthjustice and the groups it represented in working with the EPA to end production and sales of the rodenticide, said Greg Loarie, the Earthjustice attorney who led the effort. The EPA sought a total ban on the poison after its maker, Reckitt Benckeiser, refused to take more modest safeguarding steps.
An anti-coagulant, d-CON and products like it kill mice and other rodents, which in turn are eaten by such predator species as hawks, owls and coyotes, and pets like cats and dogs. An estimated 60,000 children are poisoned by the products each year.
The manufacturer has known for years about d-CON’s unintended deaths and injuries, but refused to adopt even the smallest protections for children and wildlife, Loarie said.
“Under the deal, Reckitt would agree to stop production by Dec. 31, 2014, and stop distribution after March 2015. Retailers could then continue to sell what they have until it’s gone,” Loarie said.
From 2006–2014, Terry was managing editor for Earthjustice's blog, online monthly newsletter and print Earthjustice Quarterly Magazine.
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