Can Rat Poison Kill Humans? How to Get Rid of Rats and Keep Your Family Safe

Using rat baits that contain poison is a common form of pest control that can rid your home of unwanted critters. However, the compounds in rat poison can cause serious health problems if consumed by humans. While it’s not common for people to die from consuming rat poison, it is technically possible, so make sure to follow all safety precautions recommended by the manufacturer. Read through this guide to educate yourself before laying out rat baits—especially if you have small children or pets at home.

Can Rat Poison Kill Humans?

Technically, yes, rat poison can kill humans. Any time that you ingest poison, there’s a risk of dying from complications, so you should treat any exposure as serious and contact 911 or poison control immediately. There’s no amount of rat poison that can be consumed safely, but healthy adults will usually survive a small amount of poison.

The most likely recourse will be moderate to severe symptoms that affect your cardiovascular system. Therefore, any steps you take for pest control for mice or rats should be considered carefully. It is often a better idea to hire a professional exterminator near you than to try and use poisoned rat bait yourself. You can also try using some other methods like trapping to get rid of rats.

The cost of a rat exterminator for a rodent problem that’s out of control or unsafe for your health can easily be justified, especially when you consider the side effects. The average cost for rodent extermination is $100 to $600, but varies depending on where you live.

Symptoms of Rat Poison Ingestion in Humans 

Remember, if you or a loved one has ingested rat poison, you should immediately call the National Poison Hotline at 800-222-1222.

• Bleeding from the nose and gums

• Blood in urine and stool

• Low blood pressure

• Large and/or unexplainable bruises on the body

• Chest tightness

• Difficulty breathing

• Painful coughing caused by fluid buildup in the lungs (pulmonary edema

How Much Rat Poison Is Dangerous to Humans?

There is no hard and fast rule for how much rat poison is necessary to kill humans, as factors like body weight, age, and genetics all play a role. That said, small children and those living with cardiovascular or liver issues could be seriously harmed by ingesting even small amounts.

Most premade rat traps that contain poison have roughly 50 milligrams per trap. A small child (under 30 pounds) may only need to ingest 1.5 milligrams to get seriously sick. It is believed that 10,000 U.S. children and adults are endangered by rat poison each year.

How Rat Poison Works

Rat poison, also known as rodenticide, contains anticoagulant chemicals that cause internal bleeding inside of rats and mice. It can take up to five days to start working, but eventually, the rat’s body will be unable to form blood clots and will die from it.

Each brand of rat poison may contain different chemicals or compounds, however. For example:

• Zinc phosphide: produces lethal gas in the body and increases calcium levels to a toxic level.

• Bromethalin: damages the nervous system by causing swelling and stopping the production of energy, leading to paralysis and death.

• Warfarin: thins the blood, preventing necessary clotting and causing excessive bleeding.

Opting for a method that’s less lethal to humans, like using boric acid for pest control, can reduce the likelihood of serious poisoning, although even boric acid can be somewhat toxic to humans.

How to Use Rat Poison Safely

It’s important to remember you’re working with potentially harmful chemicals when handling rat poison. As such, you’ll want to take some safety precautions.

To use rat poison safely, you should: 

1. Read instructions before opening bait traps or pest control poison kits.

2. Carefully remove bait traps for packaging.

3. Place bait stations somewhere children and pets cannot reach them.

4. Check the traps every 4 to 8 hours.

5. In the event that a rat or mouse is in the trap, wear gloves to remove and carefully dispose of your trap.

6. Carefully clean any areas where you placed bait traps.

Unfortunately, rodents are very smart critters that can enter your home in a number of ways. They may enter through holes in the wall, through the roof, and after gnawing through wood or insulation. Heck, rats can even enter through the toilet. Still, avoid placing traps out in the open or in close proximity to one another.

Natural Rat Removal Methods

Whether you’re dealing with rats or mice, it’s safe to say you don’t want them in your home. But using poison to remove them could pose risks to children and family pets. In addition, outdoor traps can kill birds, neighborhood pets, and wildlife too. If you don’t have a serious infestation but perhaps just what exterminators call an “invasion,” you can try some deterrent methods to keep rats out.

• Trap and release: Get a trap and release any rats/mice you catch into a less-populated spot. (Just make sure it’s not barren so they can find food and water and won’t need to return.) 

• Use dryer sheets: Rats supposedly hate fragrance, so it’s recommended to place fragranced dryer sheets wherever the issue is.

• Try a homemade mixture: Mix salad oil, horseradish, garlic, and cayenne pepper, and let it sit for several days. Strain, and then pour into a spray bottle. Spray the mixture anywhere you’ve seen the rats to help ward them off for good.

DIY Rat Removal vs Hiring a Pro

Rat poison should always be used with extreme caution. A local pest exterminator will have experience working with these chemicals and can give you specific advice for your situation and for the layout of your home.

When it comes to chemicals that can affect your family’s health, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Cost to Hire Professional Pest Control

A professional pest control visit costs $170 on average, but usually ranges from $50 to $500. A rat exterminator costs on the higher end of that range, for an average of $375. The size and location of the infestation will be the biggest determining factor in the cost, as setting a few traps outdoors will require significantly less labor than rooting out a nest in your air ducts.

Ben Kissam contributed to this piece.