The word "poison" in this discussion refers to pesticides. Pesticides are chemicals intended to kill pests like rats, cockroaches, mosquitoes, and ants. Pesticides are usually mixed on bait or sprayed into hiding and breeding places of pests. If ingested or come in contact with the pests, pesticides can kill within seconds, minutes, or hours depending on the potency of the poison. Pesticides usually have a shelf life (expiration date) of 2 to 3 years. If the pesticides expire, it is recommended to replace or buy new ones. But can poison kill if it is already expired? It depends on the organism and the amount of poison. Expired rat poisons tend to do no harm to rats if they ingest it. This is because the potency of the poison decreased as it aged or exposed to air and sunlight. The air oxidizes the components of poison, rendering it ineffective. Sunlight also degrades the components of poison. Rats also have higher tolerance or immunity to certain poison, hence the need for a larger amount of poison. For humans, NEVER TRY TO INGEST POISON EVEN IF IT IS ALREADY EXPIRED. Better to be safe than sorry.
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