Short- and long-term trials were conducted to determine the rate of decline of 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate) in meat baits used for poisoning wild dogs. Baits were injected with 0.2 ml of standard 1080 solution (nominal dose of 6.00 mg of pure 1080 per bait) and placed in the field. In the long-term trial, 10 baits were collected at 7 intervals between 3 h and 226 days, and analysed for residual 1080 by liquid chromatography. The recoverable 1080 content declined greatly over the first 48 days, although at 226 days all 10 baits retained some 1080. By 42.4 days the mean residual level of 1080 in the baits was predicted to be less than the theoretical LD99 for wild dogs. At the time of distribution, baits contained less than the LD50 for an average-sized eastern quoll. The LD99 for domestic cattle-dogs was predicted to be still present in baits at 72.9 days. Loss of 1080 from these baits was not correlated with rainfall, temperature or humidity. In the short-term trial, 10 baits were collected at 11 intervals up to 200 h. The recoverable 1080 content decreased by 3.09 mg (61% of the injected dose) within the first hour after injection and declined to a low of 2.70 mg at hour 50. The level of recovered 1080 then rose to 73% of the injected dose at hour 150.

Abstract--Diffuse Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy was used to monitor both molecular interactions and concentrations of volatile organic chemicals adsorbed on a commercial montmorillonite. Chemicals tested included propanoic acid, hexanal, heptanal, trimethylamine, dimethylsulfide and dimethyldisulfide. Diffuse Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy had several advantages over other infrared techniques including ease of sample preparation, greater numbers of useful bands and the ability to detect both major and minor components from the same spectra. Evidence for the formation of organo-clay complexes was found for all chemicals except dimethylsulfide. Spectra of mixed chemicals on the clay showed numerous overlapping bands. Organic concentrations were determined by multicomponent analysis using a least squares curve fitting technique. Significant correlation (P < 0.01) between actual and determined concentrations of added organics was obtained for all except dimethylsulfide. Here the weak spectral contribution appeared to be overshadowed by the strongly adsorbing montmorillonite with consequent decrease in sensitivity. Diffuse Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy of organo-montmorillonite complexes could be used both as a means of studying molecular interactions and for the determination of adsorbed organic concentrations.

No abstract

No abstract

Fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance (19F NMR) spectroscopic measurements were used to determine the chemical nature and amounts of organofluorine in dosed meat baits. Earlier work implied that sodium monofluoroacetate (compound 1080) in meat baits was broken down into other organofluorine compounds such as fluorocitrate. No chemical evidence was found for such compounds. Only monofluoroacetate was detected in the prepared 1080 bait samples. Once the baits have aged, aqueous extraction fails to recover all the added 1080. Analysis using 19F NMR confirmed that the 1080 present in the aqueous extracts of the bait is recovered by Kramer's liquid chromatography method. It was shown here that the aqueous extracts do not recover all the 1080 in the meat bait.