The label is the law. Read your product's label before you mix or apply; the rates here come from the labels listed under Sources.
- Active ingredient
- Brodifacoum (CAS 56073-10-0)
- Chemical class
- Hydroxycoumarin anticoagulant; a single-dose (second-generation) anticoagulant.[1][3]
- Mode of action
- Anticoagulant: blocks the liver enzyme that recycles vitamin K, which blood clotting depends on; insecticide resistance groups do not apply to rodenticides[1]
- Signal word
- Talon-G Rodenticide Pellets with Bitrex: Caution[2]
How it works
The liver needs an enzyme to recycle vitamin K, which the body uses to make clotting factors; anticoagulants stop that enzyme, and once stored clotting factors run out, uncontrolled bleeding follows.[1]
Older anticoagulants such as warfarin, chlorophacinone and diphacinone usually require several days of feeding, while single-dose anticoagulants like brodifacoum are more toxic and one day's feeding can deliver a lethal dose; the label says the first dead rodents appear four or five days after feeding begins.[1][2]
What homeowners can use instead
Consumer rodenticides are ready-to-use bait stations with block or paste bait, labeled for indoors only or for indoors and outdoors within 50 feet of buildings, depending on whether the station has been shown to resist children, dogs and weather; pellet baits are no longer allowed in consumer products.[3]
Where it is used
EPA allows only bait stations containing bromethalin, chlorophacinone or diphacinone to be sold to consumers; second-generation anticoagulants like brodifacoum are for professional and agricultural users and are not to be sold in grocery, drug, hardware or club stores.[3]
Professional products containing second-generation anticoagulants must be sold in containers of at least 16 pounds of bait, or at least 8 pounds for agricultural products.[3]
This pellet product may be used only for Norway rats, roof rats and house mice in and within 100 feet of agricultural buildings, or in active rat burrows within 100 feet of buildings, with every above-ground outdoor placement in a tamper-resistant bait station.[2]
Products and registrations
| Product | Registrant | EPA Reg. No. | Active % | Formulation | Signal word |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talon-G Rodenticide Pellets with Bitrex[2] | HACCO, Inc. | 61282-109 | 0.005% | pellet bait | Caution |
Safety and environmental hazards
People
The label signal word is CAUTION: harmful if swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Swallowing it can reduce the blood's ability to clot and cause bleeding, and vitamin K1 is the antidote. Children usually eat small amounts and may never show signs; when signs occur, they include sudden bleeding from the nose, gums or skin, sometimes delayed up to five days.[2][1]
Pets
Any pet that eats bait needs a veterinarian at once; vets treat it with vitamin K1 and may monitor clotting times for up to 30 days. Dogs and cats can also be poisoned by eating rodents that ate the bait.[2][1]
Bees and pollinators
The label lists no bee hazard; the risk with this bait is to mammals and birds, which it calls extremely toxic.[2]
Fish and water
The label says it is toxic to fish, and that predatory and scavenging birds and mammals may be poisoned by eating rodents that consumed the bait; NPIC lists brodifacoum among the rodenticides with high secondary-poisoning risk to hawks and owls.[2][1]
Common questions
- Can I buy brodifacoum rat poison at the hardware store?
- No. EPA restricts second-generation anticoagulants such as brodifacoum to professional and agricultural products, which are not to be sold in consumer stores.[3]
- What is the antidote for brodifacoum?
- Vitamin K1, given by a doctor or veterinarian; the label tells physicians to repeat it based on clotting-time tests, and vets may need to monitor a pet for up to 30 days.[2]
- Can my dog be poisoned by eating a poisoned rat?
- Yes. The label warns that dogs, cats and other predators and scavengers might be poisoned if they eat animals that ate the bait.[2]
- How long after eating rat poison do signs appear?
- With anticoagulants, signs may be delayed up to five days after exposure, because the body's stored clotting factors must run out first.[1]
Sources
- National Pesticide Information Center, “Rodenticides Topic Fact Sheet.” npic.orst.edu/factsheets/rodenticides.html (accessed 2026-10-06)
- U.S. EPA Pesticide Product Label System, “Talon-G Rodenticide Pellets with Bitrex label, EPA Reg. No. 61282-109 (EPA-stamped, Oct. 15, 2026).” www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/061282-00109-20261015.pdf (accessed 2026-11-08)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Restrictions on Rodenticide Products.” www.epa.gov/rodenticides/restrictions-rodenticide-products (accessed 2026-10-06)