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Invasive rodent eradication on islands: assessment and mitigation of human exposure to rodenticides

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Abstract

Use of rodenticides is a common method for eradication of invasive rodents from islands, with eradication projects increasingly being undertaken on inhabited islands or islands used by people for harvesting food. The expansion of eradication projects to inhabited islands will require that all real and perceived human health risks from the projects are socially acceptable, or effectively mitigated. When broad-scale use of rodenticide for eradication is proposed on inhabited islands, it is usual for concerns to be raised about the risks of rodenticide exposure to people, livestock, pets, game animals, and marine food sources. Although risks to humans have been assessed prior to some individual island eradications, there are currently no established frameworks for consistent and formal approaches to such assessments. To inform the focus of future assessments, we synthesized current understanding of the potential pathways of human exposure to rodenticides and risk mitigation measures associated with island rodent eradication projects. We sought to develop this through a literature and database review that identified 153 inhabited islands where rodent eradication projects had been undertaken, of which 95 documented a priori assessments of human risks and mitigation measures. We found no reports of adverse effects from human exposure resulting from any source during discrete rodent eradication programs on inhabited islands, including direct rodenticide bait consumption, inhalation, dermal absorption, secondary or tertiary exposure. To continue advancing eradications on inhabited islands of increasing scale and proactively manage risks and perceptions, we recommend engagement processes that integrate island communities into a priori risk assessments and mitigation measure selection.

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The data generated or analyzed during this study is included in this published article and its supplementary information files. Additionally, the database compiling the literature search findings and authors’ personal accounts is available from the corresponding author on request.

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Acknowledgements

United States Department of Agriculture—National Wildlife Research Center, Island Conservation, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Re:wild, and Fundación Jocotoco allowed staff time to compile this review. We thank Gregg Howald for his support in develo** the initial research concept and coordinating an agreement with USDA APHIS WS NWRC to fund this work; to Steven Hess for proving feedback to initial outline and first draft, as well as some examples and reports; and to Dr. James Doube for providing additional information about health monitoring efforts conducted on bait handling personnel during island aerial baiting projects. To Madeleine Pott for her support with language and editing. Finally, to the anonymous reviewers that kindly provided comments to the review manuscript.

Funding

United States Department of Agriculture – National Wildlife Research Center (Award No. AP19WSNWRC00C026), Island Conservation, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Re:wild funded staff time to compile this review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Island Conservation, Charles Darwin Ave, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

    Paula A. Castaño

  2. Island Conservation, 630 Water Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, USA

    Chad C. Hanson & David Will

  3. Re:wild, Charles Darwin Ave, Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

    Karl J. Campbell

  4. Fundación Jocotoco, Charles Darwin Ave, Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

    Victor Carrión

  5. Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, P.O. Box 69040, Lincoln, 7640, New Zealand

    Penny Fisher

  6. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO, 80521, USA

    Emily Ruell & Shane Siers

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Review conceptualization, design, and methodology: Paula A. Castaño, Shane Siers, Chad Hanson, David Will, Karl J. Campbell; Literature search and data compilation: Paula A. Castaño; Personal accounts and unpublished reports sourcing: Paula A. Castaño, Chad Hanson, David Will, Karl J. Campbell, Shane Siers, Penny Fisher, Emily Ruell, Victor Carrion; Writing-original draft preparation: Paula A. Castaño; Writing-review and editing: Paula A. Castaño, Chad Hanson, David Will, Karl J. Campbell, Shane Siers, Penny Fisher, Emilly Ruell, Victor Carrion. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Paula A. Castaño.

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All authors declare that they are working on or are likely to work on insular rodent eradication and control projects using anti-coagulants.

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Castaño, P.A., Hanson, C.C., Campbell, K.J. et al. Invasive rodent eradication on islands: assessment and mitigation of human exposure to rodenticides. Biol Invasions 25, 653–671 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-022-02940-1

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