Why 1080?
Why 1080?
Compared with other toxins, biodegradable 1080 has proven to be effective, cheap and safe. It is also the least environmentally harmful or persistent toxin available, and remains the most effective option registered for ongoing aerial use on mainland New Zealand.
Sodium monofluoroacetate, or 1080, is a chemical reproduction of a naturally occurring, biodegradable toxin that plants use to discourage browsing animals. It is found in Australian, South American and South African plants. Low concentrations are also foundnaturally in tea and New Zealand pūhā.1080 is our most intensively researched pest control toxin, and has been used in New Zealand since the 1950s. It disrupts the metabolic pathway by which animals extract energy from food, with death resulting from respiratory or heart failure.
Animals that consume a non-lethal dose excrete the toxin without harm, meaning 1080 cannot accumulate in a living food chain.
Under the damp conditions of a New Zealand forest, micro-organisms in the soil break down 1080 into harmless components. The toxin also rapidly dilutes in water, where it is also broken down by micro-organisms and aquatic plants to render it harmless.
Lake Howden looking south towards
the Greenstone Valley
When correctly applied,1080 is very effective.One aerial application can kill 98 percent of possums and more than 90 percent of rats in the targeted area. These successful knock-down rates provide vulnerable native birds with a crucial breeding window to raise chicks through to fledging, increasing their survival rate.
There are stringent requirements around the use of 1080. Local health authority approval is needed before every aerial 1080 operation and waterways must be closely monitored. Landcare Research has reviewed more than 2000 water samples taken after 1080 operations since 1990.
Tests from reticulated water supplies show Ministry of Health drinking water standards of two parts of 1080 per billionparts of water have never been breached. A 60-kg human would need to drink about 60 000 L of water containing two parts of 1080 per billion in one sitting to consume a fatal dose.
When carefully used, 1080 poses no significant risk to human health. DOC follows strict safety guidelines to ensure the safety of the public and staff. Tests have shown no adverse impact on staff working in close contact with 1080.
Independent review
In 2006, DOC and the Animal Health Board requested that the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) conduct an independent review of 1080 and reassess its use in New Zealand.The review considered volumes of scientific literature and expert evidence and heard more than 1400 submissions before approving 1080 for continued use. ERMA concluded that the 'continued useof 1080 has significant benefits for New Zealand's environment'. It also found that 'well-managed aerial operations posed a low risk to the native environment and to indigenous biodiversity'. There-approval required that application techniques continue to be refined along with on-going research into alternative methods of pest control.
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