As title; i work in a building which has a rat infestation, there is poisoned traps around the building and the rats have been ingesting the poison then returning under the building and dying under the floorboards. The smell has been appalling and we have had lots of flies.
I have had ongoing cough as has a colleague.
Just wondered if anyone had any knowledge on this.
Google wasn’t helpful.

Rat poison used to be warfarin – the same as humans use to reduce blood clotting – and when I had to use it there was no inhalation option, just tablets, so I don’t think you’ll start bleeding from every orifice because of that.

Rat poison in those type of traps is a solid that rats eat and then, as you say, run away to die. Any odour is likely to be dead animals. As this is a workplace I would first suggest speaking with your H&S rep/ manager. If you and colleagues are experiencing ill-health I would suggest visiting your GP for a consultation and having this, if necessary noted by occupational health with your employer. I’m sure it would be possible to find an MSDS for the poison on line and this will detail the risks for the relevant exposure routes.

Pesticides are very heavily regulated and controlled regarding how they are used so I would be very surprised if there is any issue with fumes. The rats dying under the floorboards is an unfortunate side effect of second generation poisons. The older poisons (warfarin for example) used to kill the rats pretty quickly so you’d end up with dead rats around the bait, which surprisingly enough put off other rats. The newer poisons usually require several doses before they eventually kill the rats which means they’re often back in their burrows when the do die.

Dunno, try it.