Los Angeles and other major cities across California have been named among the top 10 “rattiest” cities in the United States by pest control companies Terminix and Orkin. While many applaud the state’s forward-thinking environmental laws, new legislation banning the use of blood-thinning rat poisons—signed by Governor Gavin Newsom—has raised significant concerns about public health and urban pest management. Critics worry that the law, aimed at protecting wildlife like mountain lions and raptors, may inadvertently worsen the rat infestation problem, leading to serious consequences for human health and safety.
The legislation, which goes into effect on January 1, 2024, restricts the use of anticoagulant rodenticides. These poisons have been effective at controlling rat populations.
Activists have hailed the law as a victory for California. J.P. Rose, from the Center for Biological Diversity, which sponsored the bill, celebrated the legislation, saying, “We can all agree that unintentionally poisoning native wildlife is wrong.”
However, experts in pest control and agricultural groups argue that the new law could cause rat populations to surge across the state, potentially resulting in severe public health consequences.
Restrictions remove critical tools for controlling rodent infestations in urban and agricultural settings. Effective rat control tools protect the health and safety of people and businesses. Without these poisons, there are fewer options to manage rodent populations, leading to increased risks of diseases such as leptospirosis, hantavirus, and salmonella, which rats can transmit to humans.
The economic impact of failing to manage rat populations could also be significant.
Rats can cause substantial damage to infrastructure, including gnawing through electrical wiring, damaging buildings, and contaminating food supplies. In major cities like Los Angeles, the cost of rat infestations is already high, and critics of the law fear the problem will grow as more rats thrive in environments with fewer control measures.
