Something bizarre repeatable struck my eye as I spent time
hiking through Southwestern Australia in December 2012. It wasn’t the massive Eucalyptus diversicolor, or the cacophony
of bush bird’s singing in their canopies – though these were quite striking - but
rather the ill-fitting signs warning of a pristine landscape poisoned with
something called “1080”. Signs, much like the one pictured below, were boldly
displayed at the entrance to almost every trailhead, park entrance, or
secondary road I came across. It became clear that whatever this poison was,
the Australians didn’t seem at all afraid to use it; so much so that it could
be found in even the most protected of wildlife sanctuaries.
A typical sign warning that 1080 baits have been laid throughout a given area. |
It turns out “1080”, better known to nobody except the most chemistry-inclined
as sodium 2-fluoroacetate, is actually a fairly common poison to the continent
of Australia. In fact, it is the poison’s ubiquity that lends it so useful, though
we’ll get to that shortly.
Physiologically,
1080 acts as a metabolic poison and is most toxic when ingested orally by
mammals. Once consumed, the toxic effects can take place over hours or even
days. Sodium 2-fluoroacetate’s toxicity lies in its similarities to a key
molecule in cellular energy metabolism: acetate. Under this mechanism, soluble
flouracetate associates with coenzyme A to form fluoroacetyl CoA. Fluoroacetyl
CoA then enters the TCA (tri-carboxylic acid) cycle where it reacts with
citrate synthase to produce fluorocitrate, a metabolite of which then binds
very tightly to aconitase. This effectively halts the TCA cycle, leading to catastrophic cellular starvation and eventual necrosis. Sublethal doses may result in tissue damage, especially to tissues with high energy demand. Urinary excretion usually takes place within 72 hours of ingestion.
A schematic covering the major steps of the citric acid cycle. |
At this point you may be asking: why are Australians putting
1080 poison everywhere and what the hell are they thinking? To my surprise, I
learned that this was not an isolated exercise. Much of Australia, Tasmania, and
New Zealand utilize 1080 poisoning. As it turns out, 1080’s
effectiveness against mammals makes it an amazing tool, which has been exploited
to deal with the issue of rampant invasive species proliferation. Its usefulness is reinforced by the fact that, though it is inherently toxic to most non-microbial species, the LD50’s (which is defined as
the lethal dose at which 50% of animals die) in other animal classes like Amphibia and
Aves are relatively high. The relative insusceptibility of amphibians to 1080
is especially informative, as it is usually these species that are severely
affected by toxins and pollutants that leech in to the environment.
Synthetically manufactured into pellets (see picture to right), sodium
2-fluoroacetate is also found naturally in approximately 35 native Australian
plants. It is water soluble and degradable by many of Australia's native soil bacteria. Australian mammals, most of which are marsupials, have been
allowed to evolve in the presence of this poison for millennia. This has lead
to many native species with the ability to avoid, and in many cases even
tolerate, an otherwise deadly poison. Meanwhile, species like red fox (Vulpes
vulpes), feral cats (Felis catus), and European rabbits (Oryctolagus
cuniculus) show extreme sensitivity to 1080 with LD50 of 0.12mg/kg, 0.4mg/kg,
and 0.37mg/kg respectively. Species that show active hunting behaviors like the fox are thus easily targeted with baits containing the poison. Sadly, domesticated dogs are one of the most susceptible animals to this poison with a LD50 of about 0.07mg/kg.
Red fox, feral cats, and European rabbits all pose a very real threat to native Australian species as they outcompete them for food, water, and territorial resources. |
The use of 1080 poison in Australia has been met with reasonable success, but there is fear that its effectiveness may not last. European rabbits have been shown in studies to adapt a tolerance to the poison. This is especially worrisome for r-selected animals like the rabbit. Tolerance in these animals could rapidly grow to the point where 1080 becomes an ineffective method of control. K-slected populations, like foxes, won't likely develop such tolerances in the foreseeable future.
References:
Gilbert S. 2012. A Small Dose of Toxicology: The Health
Effects of Common Chemicals. Print.
Gooneratne, S.R., C.T. Eason, L. Milne, D.G. Arthur, C.
Cook, and M. Wickstrom. 2008. Acute and Long-term Effects of Exposure to Sodium
Monofluoroacetate (1080) in Sheep. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research
75(2): 127-139.
Mcilroy, J.C.
1986. The Sensitivity of Australian Animals to 1080 Poison: Comparisons Between
the Major Groups of Animals, and the Potential Danger Nontarget Species Face
From 1080 Poisoning Campaigns. Australian
Wildlife Research 13: 39–48.
Mcilroy, J.C., D.R.
King, and A.J. Oliver. 1985. The Sensitivity of Australian Animals to 1080
Poison VIII.* Amphibians and Reptiles. Australian
Wildlife Research 12: 113–118.
Miller, C.J., and S. Anderson. 1992. Impacts of aerial 1080
poisoning on birds of Rangitoto Island, Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. New Zealand
Journal of Ecology 16(2): 103-107.
Proudfoot A.T., S.M. Bradberry, and J.A.Vale. 2006. Sodium fluoroacetate
poisoning. Toxicology Review 25(4): 213-219.
Tahori, A.S. 1966. Changes in the resistance pattern of a
fluoroacetate-resistant fly strain. Journal of Economic Entomology 59(2):
462-464
Twigg L., Lowe T., and M. Gary. 2009. 1080–Characteristics
and use. Western Australian Agriculture Authority. ISSN: 1833-7236.
Twigg, L. E., G.R. Martin, and T.J. Lowe. 2002. Evidence of
pesticide resistance in medium-sized mammalian pests: a case study with 1080
poison and Australian rabbits. Journal of Applied Ecology 39: 549–560.
Additional References:
http://www.daff.qld.gov.au/documents/Biosecurity_EnvironmentalPests/IPA-Wild-Dog-Fact-Sheet-1080.pdf
Very interesting -- it still seems surprising that using such a broad poison that can seemingly affect many (if not all) mammals has benefits that outweigh the risks.
ReplyDeleteHealing from HIV-AIDS, i never though dr.camala who could ever get my HIV-AIDS cured with his healing spell, i have tried almost everything but i couldn't find any solution on my disease, despite all these happening to me, i always spend alot to buy a HIV drugs from hospital and taking some several medications but no relieve, until one day i was just browsing on the internet when i come across a great post of !Michelle! who truly said that she was been diagnose with HIV and was healed that very week through the help of these great powerful healing spell doctor, sometime i really wonder why people called him Papa camala, i never knew it was all because of the great and perfect work that he has been doing that is causing all this. so i quickly contacted him, and he ask me some few questions and he said a thing i will never forget that anyone who contacted him is ! always getting his or her healing in just 6 hours after doing all he ask you, so i was amazed all the time i heard that from him, so i did all things only to see that at the very day which he said i will be healed, all the strength that has left me before rush back and i becomes very strong and healthy, this disease almost kills my life all because of me, so i will to hospital to give the final test to the disease and the doctor said i am HIV negative, i am very amazed and happy about the healing dr.camala gave to me from the ancient part of Africa, you can email him now for your own healing too at: dr.camalahivadscure@yahoo.com or WhatsApp him +2349055637784 thank you sir for healing me from HIV, i am Doris Carter.
ReplyDeleteI Want To Appreciate Dr.OYAGU for his great deeds, I Was Diagnosed With type 2 Herpes Virus Last year,And i Was Looking For Solution To Be Cured Luckily I Saw Testimonies On How Dr.OYAGU Cure Herpes Virus I Decided To Contact Dr.OYAGU I Contacted Him He Prepared A Herbal Medicine Portion And Sent It To Me,I Started The Herbal Medicine For My Health.He Gave Me Step By Step Instructions On How To Apply It, When I Applied It As Instructed, I Was Cured Of This Deadly Herpes Within 2 weeks, I Am Now Herpes Negative.My Brother And Sister I No That There Are So Many People That Have The Same Herpes Virus Please contact Dr OYAGU To Help You Too,And Help Me To Thank Dr.OYAGU For Cure Me, I’m Cured By Dr. OYAGU Herbal Medicine,His Contact Email:oyaguherbalhome@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteOr Cell Whatsapp Number +2348101755322 thank you