Effect of sodium fluoroacetate (“compound 1080”) on the soil microflora

A range of New Zealand soils, many contaminated by sodium fluoroacetate (“Compound 1080” or NaFA) were examined for micro-organisms capable of defluorinating this animal poison. Species of Pseudomonas and Fusurium capable of growth on NaFA were isolated whilst many other soil bacteria and fungi exhibited defluorinating activity when grown on an alternative organic C source. It was concluded that NaFA has a short biological half-life in the soils investigated.Some NaFA-contaminated soils also contained species of the algae Chlorella and Chlamydomonas which were unaffected by NaFA but growth of a duck weed, Spirodela oligorrhiza, was inhibited 73% in the presence of 5 μM-NaFA.