What type of rodenticide is Bromethalin?

Bromethalin is classified as an acute rodenticide. Its mode of action differs significantly from anticoagulants, which work by disrupting the blood's ability to clot over a prolonged period. Instead, Bromethalin functions through neurotoxicity, affecting the central nervous system of rodents. This action leads to paralysis and eventual death relatively quickly after ingestion, characterizing it as an acute toxicity agent.

Anticoagulant rodenticides, whether first or second generation, require multiple feedings over several days to achieve lethal effects, as they slowly accumulate in an animal's body and disrupt the coagulation process. This is in contrast to Bromethalin, which does not rely on a cumulative effect and operates more swiftly. Fumigants, on the other hand, are gaseous pesticides used in enclosed spaces, which makes them entirely different from Bromethalin's solid form and mode of action as a bait.