Pest Control Company Sued for Unsafe Use of Rat Poison
DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb recently filed action against a pest control company, which endangered residents, pets, and wildlife by using extremely toxic rodenticides illegally and irresponsibly.
The company had posted videos on social media of them applying rodenticides in hazardous ways. The Attorney General’s lawsuit outlines three concerns:
Placing poison in areas where pets and wildlife could easily access it
Falsifying licenses and insurance
Using untrained workers to apply dangerous chemicals in our neighborhoods
Even when used as directed, these poisons harm innocent bystanders. Rat poison makes its way up the food chain when other animals eat dead or dying rats. This threatens owls, hawks, foxes, and even our pets. When applied without caution, the chemicals are even more likely to end up in a dog, a cat, or a neighboring wild animal.
But there’s the bigger problem: Rodenticides are still available online. Anyone can buy and use them — often without understanding the perils they pose to other animals.
We need stronger oversight of these dangerous chemicals. Instead, people should turn to safer and more effective strategies such as composting to remove organic waste from trash cans, talking to neighbors about safe storage and disposal of trash, and try out rat contraceptives such as Contrapest and Wisdom Goodworks.
Want to help us build better solutions? Contact us here to ask questions or learn more about DC Responsible Rat Management on our website. We want to hear your story of how rat poison has affected your life—please write us via the contact form.
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DCVFA lifts up the policies and politicians doing the most for animals and our community in DC. We advocate for all animals, including companion animals such as cats and dogs, animals in farms and labs such as chickens and beagles, and wildlife such as foxes and deer. Join us by signing up for action alerts and donating to support political change for animals.