Sodium Monofluoroacetate
Sodium monofluoroacetate, also commonly referred to as sodium fluoroacetate or 1080 in its pesticide form, is a derivative of fluoroacetic acid. It occurs naturally in various plants as an anti-herbivore, and its salt form can be produced synthetically by treating sodium chloroacetate with potassium fluoride. Sodium monofluoroacetate is highly toxic to mammals and insects, and 1080 has been in use for pest control since the 1950s. It has been used in several countries to protect agriculture from various herbivorous mammals, and has been used extensively in New Zealand and Australia to control invasive non-native mammals that threaten native wildlife and vegetation.
When used as a pesticide, 1080 is typically administered in bait-pellet form that is applied aerially or inside a collar worn by livestock that will be released if the collar is punctured. Exposure to 1080 most commonly occurs by interaction with an infected animal, broken collars, or excess pellets.
Sodium monofluoroacetate has recently surfaced in the news in the wake of a threat to contaminate infant and other powdered formula manufactured in New Zealand with the substance. According to some reports, New Zealand uses nearly 80% of the world’s sodium monofluoroacetate to control invasive pests such as rats and possums, and unknown individuals are threatening to contaminate the infant formula as a protest to the government’s policy to use it. The threat was sent via letters to several organizations that demanded New Zealand’s Department of Conservation stop using 1080 to eradicate invasive species by the end of March 2015.1 The letters contained samples of milk powder that tested positive for the colorless, tasteless poison.2 In response to the threat, regulatory agencies have increased testing on formula imported from New Zealand for sodium monofluoroacetate contamination.
To assist researchers and quality testing laboratories, CIL has synthesized a new 13C2/D2-sodium monofluoroacetate.