What is 1080?
1080 concentrate is a highly water-soluble powder which is generally odourless and tasteless to humans. It is stable under normal conditions, but starts to break down at temperatures above 110°C and completely degrades at 200°C. The active ingredient of 1080 is sodium fluoroacetate, which is a natural plant product (see below). However, the 1080 used in baits is synthetically produced.
Mode of action
The ultimate toxicity of the active ingredient of 1080, fluoroacetate, arises from its effects on the energy-producing tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) in the mitochondria (mitochondria are the ‘powerhouse’ of cells). Consequently, affected animals are not able to meet their energy needs. However, fluoroacetate itself is not toxic as it must be converted within the animal (i.e. in the mitochondria) to a second substance, fluorocitrate, to exert its toxic effects. It is the fluorocitrate thus formed which actually interferes with the TCA cycle and the production of energy.
Because 1080 (fluoroacetate) needs to be absorbed and then converted to fluorocitrate, there is lag between the ingestion of 1080 and the appearance of signs of toxicity. In mammals, this lag-phase is generally between 0.5 and 3 hours, but it can be longer than this (e.g. up to 15 h). Animals receiving small sub-lethal doses of 1080 may show only mild signs, and they metabolise and excrete the 1080 within one (most mammals) to three (reptiles) days. They then recover.
The metabolic and physiological effects of 1080-poisoning are complex. The inhibition of the TCA cycle by fluorocitrate results in a cascade of events, including elevated citrate levels in plasma and tissues. This in turn results in neurological impairment and reduced calcium levels in poisoned animals. Adequate calcium is vital for normal heart function, and for normal communication between nerves in the spinal cord. However, keep in mind, that both the role of these neurotransmitters, and the consequences of 1080-induced neurological impairment, are also very complex and beyond the scope of this Bulletin.
Signs of poisoning
Visual signs of poisoning are generally neurological in carnivores, cardiac/respiratory in herbivores, and a mixture of neurological and cardiac signs in omnivores. However, because of the varied responses which can occur with 1080-intoxication, the classification of individual species into these groupings is often arbitrary.