When Americans discovered that devices known as cyanide bombs were being placed in public outdoor areas to exterminate coyotes and other animals, they reacted with horror.
And with good reason. Although the devices are touted as a way to control varmints and predators, they kill indiscriminately and pose a lethal threat to any animal, including humans. In 2017, they were responsible for temporarily blinding a teenager and killing three family pets in incidents in Idaho and Wyoming.
So it’s no wonder that when the Environmental Protection Agency opened a public comment session on whether to reauthorize use of the devices, an analysis of the responses showed that 99.9% of respondents called for a ban.
Yet despite the dangers to humans and the cry for a ban, not to mention the cruelty of killing animals by poisoning them, the EPA announced last week it was reauthorizing the use of cyanide bombs.
This is an outrage. It’s yet another example of the Trump administration’s willingness to sacrifice the health and safety of Americans in its savage war on the environment.
Public awareness about the devices picked up after the 2017 incident in Idaho, when a 14-year-old boy who was walking his dog in the wilderness near his home inadvertently triggered a cyanide bomb, blinding him and killing the dog.
Environmentalists, outdoor enthusiasts, animal welfare advocates, public health officials and others were soon calling for a ban.
They were entirely justified in doing so.
Cyanide bombs, formally known as M-44 Devices for Pest Control, are a combination of a landmine and a chemical weapon. The cylindrical devices are anchored into the ground and feature an exposed tip that is baited with food
Here’s how a highly sanitized governmental brochure describes how they work:
“The M-44 device is triggered when a canid, such as a coyote or feral dog, tugs on the baited capsule holder, releasing the plunger and ejecting sodium cyanide powder into the animal’s mouth. The sodium cyanide quickly reacts with moisture in the animal’s mouth, releasing hydrogen cyanide gas.
“Death is very quick, normally within 1 to 5 minutes after the device is triggered.”
But there are two big problems with that explanation.
One, cyanide bombs don’t just go off when coyotes or feral dogs take the bait. Any animal can trigger one. In fact, wildlife experts say M-44s have killed more than 10,000 non-target animals, including mountain lions, bears, bald eagles, wolves and pet dogs. And as shown in Idaho, M-44s can also be tripped by being handled by humans — in this case, a teenager who thought the device might be a sprinkler head.
As for the second problem with the brochure, try to imagine how long you’d think five minutes would last if you were dying of cyanide poisoning. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the effects include a feeling of throat constriction and suffocation, vomiting, seizures and muscle spasms in which the head, neck and spine arch sharply backward.
But for the time being, anyway, M-44s will continue to be used. Although the EPA imposed slightly stronger requirements for setbacks, warning signage and notification of nearby property owners, they still pose a serious threat to wildlife and people enjoying the outdoors. That’s because of a number of factors — signs can be knocked down or obscured by debris and undergrowth, young children and animals can’t read them anyway, and environmentalists say officials routinely ignore regulations.
Idaho and Oregon addressed the dangers on their own by imposing a moratorium and a ban, respectively, on use of M-44s. But Nevada, unfortunately, has taken no such action.
The good news is opponents of cyanide bombs are continuing to fight against them in the courts, through regulatory processes and by working with lawmakers.
In the meantime, anyone venturing into the outdoors should watch out for themselves and their families. The Trump administration isn’t protecting them.