Baby Safety / Compounds / Brodifacoum

Is Brodifacoum safe for babies and kids?

Context-dependent for kids

(Babies-specific data is limited; this page draws from human pregnant context.) Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Brodifacoum, potentially increasing fetal exposure. The developing embryo/fetus is vulnerable during organogenesis (weeks 3-8) and neurological development. Placental transfer should be assumed.

What is brodifacoum?

The IUPAC name is 3-[3-[4-(4-bromophenyl)phenyl]-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-1-yl]-4-hydroxychromen-2-one.

Also known as: 3-[3-[4-(4-bromophenyl)phenyl]-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-1-yl]-4-hydroxychromen-2-one, Bromfenacoum, Klerat, Talon.

IUPAC name
3-[3-[4-(4-bromophenyl)phenyl]-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-1-yl]-4-hydroxychromen-2-one
CAS number
56073-10-0
Molecular formula
C31H23BrO3
Molecular weight
523.4 g/mol
SMILES
C1C(CC2=CC=CC=C2C1C3=C(C4=CC=CC=C4OC3=O)O)C5=CC=C(C=C5)C6=CC=C(C=C6)Br
PubChem CID
54680676

Risk for babies

Context-dependent

Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Brodifacoum, potentially increasing fetal exposure. The developing embryo/fetus is vulnerable during organogenesis (weeks 3-8) and neurological development. Placental transfer should be assumed.

No specific reproductive toxicity data identified, but pregnancy-specific safety data is limited for most chemicals. Precautionary minimization of exposure is recommended.

What to do: Minimize exposure during pregnancy and lactation. Consult healthcare provider regarding specific risks. Consider alternative products with lower hazard profiles.

Risk for pregnant and nursing people

Context-dependent

Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Brodifacoum, potentially increasing fetal exposure. The developing embryo/fetus is vulnerable during organogenesis (weeks 3-8) and neurological development. Placental transfer should be assumed.

No specific reproductive toxicity data identified, but pregnancy-specific safety data is limited for most chemicals. Precautionary minimization of exposure is recommended.

What to do: Minimize exposure during pregnancy and lactation. Consult healthcare provider regarding specific risks. Consider alternative products with lower hazard profiles.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Brodifacoum.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / Skin-EyeEye Irritation: Category 6.4A (Category 2A) (score: high)

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where kids encounter brodifacoum

  • Industrial FacilitiesManufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational EnvironmentsFactories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Brodifacoum:

  • Physical/mechanical pest control (IPM)
    Trade-offs: More labor-intensive. May not be sufficient for severe infestations.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain brodifacoum?

Brodifacoum appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).

See Brodifacoum in the baby app

Look up products containing brodifacoum, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in baby View raw API data

Sources (4)

  1. US EPA: Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) for Rodenticides — Second Generation Anticoagulants (Brodifacoum, Bromadiolone, Difethialone, Difenacoum) (2008) — regulatory
  2. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: Anticoagulant Rodenticide Toxicosis in Companion Animals — Clinical Management and Prognosis (2022) — report
  3. Murphy MJ: Rodenticides. Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal Practice — Toxicology of Long-acting Anticoagulant Rodenticides (2002) — report
  4. CDC MMWR: Outbreak of Coagulopathy Associated with Brodifacoum-Contaminated Synthetic Cannabinoid Products — Illinois, 2018 (2018) — regulatory

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →