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An outbreak of coagulopathy characterized by hematuria and abdominal pain has developed in Illinois and other states from the lacing of marijuana products with long-lived anticoagulants such as brodifacoum. Long-term vitamin K therapy and supportive care are management tools.

Purpose This aims to study poisoning cases involving bromadiolone, its detection from biological samples, and treatment for the survival of the victim. Methods A literature survey on bromadiolone poisoning using Scopus, PubMed, and World Wide Web using relevant keywords, e.g. Bromadiolone poisoning, bromadiolone toxicology, poisoning treatment, bromadiolone detection, detection methods. The analytical methods like thin layer chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, CT scans (computed tomography scan) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and combined mass spectroscopic methods were used for the detection of bromadiolone. Results Bromadiolone poisoning in different organisms like cats, rats, birds, foxes, and human beings was studied. On the basis of the concentration of bromadiolone and its half-life period, symptoms like internal hemorrhage were observed; in some cases, lesions on the brain were seen. Vitamin K (Vit. K), is the effective treatment for the curing of bromadiolone, was identified. Conclusions This review suggests that in the case of bromadiolone poisoning, it is very important to find out the poisoned compound and not to rely only on symptomatic treatment. It is found that Vit. K is the major curative treatment for the survival of bromadiolone poisoning victims.

The use of rodenticides is a primary method for eradicating rodents from islands for conservation purposes. Rodenticide residue monitoring is often incorporated into rodent eradication project planning to understand the potential effects on nontarget species, but robust long-term sampling is often challenging due to logistical and financial constraints. We documented more than two years of rodenticide residues at fine-scale intervals with over 570 samples associated with a rodent eradication attempt. Brodifacoum-25D Conservation was applied in an attempt to eradicate house mice ( Mus musculus ) from Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. As a cooperating agency, USDA National Wildlife Research Center collected and tested environmental samples for brodifacoum residues, targeting compartments (invertebrates, vertebrates, water, soil, and plants) that may affect the health of humans and wildlife. Brodifacoum residues in invertebrates peaked immediately after bait application and persisted in low levels until becoming undetectable nine months after bait application. Brodifacoum residues decreased over time but persisted in some vertebrate species (geckos, fish, birds) throughout the one-year sampling period after bait applications. All soil and water environmental samples had either no detectable residues or were under method limit of quantitation. No detectable residues were found in drinking water systems or food plant samples. The adaptive environmental monitoring, which included rapid turnaround of analytical chemistry results, enabled real-time management decisions for nontarget species, mitigation approaches, and community action.

The extensive use of anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) for rodent control has led to widespread secondary exposure in nontarget predatory wildlife species. We investigated exposure rates and concentrations of five ARs in liver samples from five raptors and six owls from Denmark. A total of 430 birds were analysed. ARs were detected in 84–100 % of individual birds within each species. Multiple AR exposure was detected in 73 % of all birds. Average number of substances detected in individual birds was 2.2 with no differences between owls and raptors. Difenacoum, bromadiolone, and brodifacoum were the most prevalent substances and occurred in the highest concentrations. Second-generation ARs made up 96 % of the summed AR burden. Among the six core species (sample size >30), summed AR concentrations were lower in rough-legged buzzard ( Buteo lagopus ) and long-eared owl ( Asio otus ) than in barn owl ( Tyto alba ) , buzzard ( B. buteo ), kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus ), and tawny owl ( Strix aluco ). There was a strong tendency for seasonal variations in the summed AR concentration with levels being lowest during autumn, which is probably related to an influx of less-exposed migrating birds from northern Scandinavia during autumn. High hepatic AR residue concentrations (>100 ng/g wet weight), which have been associated with symptoms of rodenticide poisoning and increased mortality, were recorded high frequencies (12.9–37.4 %) in five of the six core species. The results suggest that the present use of ARs in Denmark, at least locally, may have adverse effects on reproduction and, ultimately, population status in some raptors and owls.

Despite the documented risk of secondary poisoning to non-target species by anticoagulant rodenticides there is no statutory post-approval monitoring of their use in the UK. This paper presents results from two Scottish monitoring schemes for the period 2000–2010; recording rodenticide use on arable farms and the presence of residues in raptor carcasses. More than three quarters of arable farms used anticoagulant rodenticides; predominately the second generation compounds difenacoum and bromadiolone. There was widespread exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides in liver tissues of the raptor species tested and the residues encountered generally reflected agricultural use patterns. As found in other studies, Red Kites ( Milvus milvus) appeared to be particularly vulnerable to rodenticide exposure, 70 % of those sampled ( n  = 114) contained residues and 10 % died as a result of rodenticide ingestion. More unexpectedly, sparrowhawks ( Accipiter nisus ), which prey almost exclusively on birds, had similar exposure rates to species which prey on rodents. Although, with the exception of kites, confirmed mortality from rodenticides was low, the widespread exposure recorded is concerning. Particularly when coupled with a lack of data about the sub-lethal effects of these compounds. This raises questions regarding whether statutory monitoring of use is needed; both to address whether there are deficiencies in compliance with approval conditions or whether the recommended risk management procedures are themselves adequate to protect non-target wildlife.

Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) have been used for decades for rodent control worldwide. Research on the exposure of the environment and accumulation of these active substances in biota has been focused on terrestrial food webs, but few data are available on the impact of ARs on aquatic systems and water organisms. To fill this gap, we analyzed liver samples of bream ( Abramis brama ) and co-located suspended particulate matter (SPM) from the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB). An appropriate method was developed for the determination of eight different ARs, including first- and second-generation ARs, in fish liver and SPM. Applying this method to bream liver samples from 17 and 18 sampling locations of the years 2011 and 2015, respectively, five ARs were found at levels above limits of quantifications (LOQs, 0.2 to 2 μg kg −1 ). For 2015, brodifacoum was detected in 88% of the samples with a maximum concentration of 12.5 μg kg −1 . Moreover, difenacoum, bromadiolone, difethialone, and flocoumafen were detected in some samples above LOQ. In contrast, no first generation AR was detected in the ESB samples. In SPM, only bromadiolone could be detected in 56% of the samples at levels up to 9.24 μg kg −1 . A temporal trend analysis of bream liver from two sampling locations over a period of up to 23 years revealed a significant trend for brodifacoum at one of the sampling locations.

Anticoagulant rodenticides are widely used to control rodent infestations. Previous studies have shown that nontarget organisms, such as birds, are at risk for both primary and secondary poisoning. This paper presents rodenticide residue information on the livers from 164 strigiformes which included barn owls (Tyto alba), barred owls (Strix varia), and great horned owls (Bubo virginianus), collected from 1988 to 2003 in the province of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory, Canada. Livers were analyzed for brodifacoum, bromadiolone, chlorophacinone, diphacinone, difethialone, and warfarin. Our results show that, of the 164 owl livers analyzed, 70% had residues of at least one rodenticide, and of these 41% had more than one rodenticide detected. Of the three species of owls examined, barred owls were most frequently exposed (92%, n = 23); brodifacoum and bromadiolone were most often detected, with liver concentrations ranging from 0.001 to 0.927 mg/kg brodifacoum, and 0.002 to 1.012 mg/kg bromadiolone. Six of the owls (three barred owls, two barn owls, and one great horned owl) were diagnosed as having died from anticoagulant poisoning; all six owls had brodifacoum residues in the liver.

[Display omitted] •Blood and hair tested positive for flocoumafen and difenacoum.•The same two substances were found in seized material.•Segmental hair analysis was a key factor in interpreting time of exposure. The 4-hydroxycoumarin derivatives are the most used rodenticides and act as classical anticoagulants, interfering with the production of clotting factors in liver by antagonizing the action of vitamin K reductase, thereby inhibiting recycling of vitamin K1, involved in activation of blood clotting factors, resulting in massive bleeding. In this paper, we present the case of a 72-year old man providing abnormal coagulation parameters (PT-INR between 16.1 and 19.1) after hospitalization. Blood samples tested positive for flocoumafen and difenacoum, two superwarfarin rodenticides. Patient’s hair specimens, sampled 19 days after his hospitalization, showed that traces of both difenacoum and flocoumafen were detected in the first 1 cm; in the intermediate segments (1–2 and 2–3 cm), both difenacoum and flocoumafen were absent, while in the distal segment (3–4.5 cm), only difenacoum was found, but in significant amounts (140 pg/mg). Exposure to difenacoum in the past months, at least 4–5 before hospitalization, was confirmed by the presence of the rodenticide in the distal segment. Moreover, among the seized material, two specimens resulted compatible with the two rodenticides.

Anticoagulants are biocides widely used as pest control agents in agriculture, urban infrastructures, and domestic applications for the control of rodents. Other anticoagulants such as warfarin and acenocoumarol are also used as drugs against thrombosis. After use, anticoagulants are discharged to sewage grids and enter wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Our hypothesis is that WWTP effluents can be a source of anticoagulants to receiving waters and that these can affect aquatic organisms and other nontarget species. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine the occurrence of 11 anticoagulants in WWTPs receiving urban and agricultural wastewaters. Warfarin was the most ubiquitous compound detected in influent waters and was partially eliminated during the activated sludge treatment, and low nanograms per liter concentration were found in the effluents. Other detected compounds were coumatetralyl, ferulenol, acenocoumarol, flocoumafen, brodifacoum, bromadiolone, and difenacoum at concentrations of 0.86–87.0 ng L⁻¹. Considering water volumes of each WWTP, daily emissions were estimated to be 0.02 to 21.8 g day⁻¹, and thus, WWTPs contribute to the loads of anticoagulants to receiving waters. However, low aquatic toxicity was observed using Daphnia magna as a model aquatic organism.

Raptor population growth is dynamic and trends vary across species and by location in the United States. For those species that are declining, it is important to identify potential causes including chemical contaminants. Sampling wild raptors is problematic due to their small population sizes and role as a top predator. Therefore, we obtained liver samples ( n  = 56) from carcasses of several raptor species, including common species like red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, barred owls, great horned owls, and osprey that arrived dead or were euthanized from a non-profit rehabilitation center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Raptors were found or collected in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, but most samples were located near the metropolitan region of Charlotte, NC. We analyzed livers for total mercury residue (mg/kg, dry weight) and five anti-coagulant rodenticides (μg/kg wet weight). Mercury was analyzed using a direct mercury analyzer approach and rodenticides were quantified by LC-MS. Mercury residues were high in piscivorous birds (15.09 mg/kg for osprey and 6.93 mg/kg for great blue herons, dry weight) and relatively high in red-shouldered hawks and one eastern screech owl tested. Six of our samples exceeded a health threshold of 1 mg/kg (wet weight) including three osprey and one each of great blue heron, red-shouldered hawk, and eastern screech owl. Brodifacoum was the only rodenticide consistently detected in our samples. Brodifacoum detections exceeded 75% in barred owls, great horned owls, and red-shouldered hawks. Sixty-nine percent of owl samples were within (or exceeded) a threshold of brodifacoum residue associated with a 10–20% risk of acute toxicity. Correlations between residues and human population density were not significant for either mercury or brodifacoum. Our data suggest that mercury residues for most raptors were not of significant concern with the exception of osprey and possibly red-shouldered hawks. Rodenticide exposures associated with a risk of acute toxicity appear to be common and warrant further investigation.