Metal phosphides, particularly aluminium phosphide (AlP) and zinc phosphide (Zn₃P₂), are widely used in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as rodenticides in urban and domestic environments due to their low cost and high toxicity to rodent pests. However, they are also highly toxic to humans with no antidote available and have been associated with numerous fatal cases of intentional and accidental poisoning. This paper reviews alternatives to metal phosphide use for rodent pest management in urban and domestic environments, highlights case studies of effective alternative approaches, and provides recommendations for research and policy. This review identifies numerous alternative methods available for managing rodent pests in domestic/urban settings that can replace metal phosphides. These include chemical methods, i.e. rodenticides, and non-chemical methods, e.g. rodent-proofing, sanitation and trapping. However, because the majority of chemical rodenticides qualify as highly hazardous pesticides due to acute human health toxicity, environmental toxicity, and/or bioaccumulation, simply selecting substitute chemical rodenticides to replace metal phosphides are likely to replace one set of hazards with others. Thus, careful risk and hazard assessments are needed when considering substituting with other chemicals. Overall, we need to move away from current levels of rodenticide reliance towards more integrated and ecologically based approaches.

金属磷化物，特别是磷化铝（AlP）和磷化锌（Zn ₃ P ₂ ），由于其成本低且对啮齿动物毒性高，在低收入和中等收入国家（LMIC）广泛用作城市和家庭环境中的灭鼠剂害虫。然而，它们对人类也有剧毒，且没有可用的解毒剂，并与许多故意和意外中毒的致命案例有关。本文回顾了城市和家庭环境中啮齿动物害虫治理中金属磷化物的替代方案，重点介绍了有效替代方法的案例研究，并为研究和政策提供了建议。本综述确定了许多可用于管理家庭/城市环境中啮齿动物害虫的替代方法，这些方法可以替代金属磷化物。这些方法包括化学方法，即杀鼠剂，和非化学方法，例如防鼠、卫生和诱捕。然而，由于大多数化学灭鼠剂由于对人类健康的急性毒性、环境毒性和/或生物蓄积性而被视为高度危险的农药，因此简单地选择化学灭鼠剂替代品来替代金属磷化物可能会用其他危害替代一组危害。因此，在考虑用其他化学品替代时，需要仔细进行风险和危害评估。总体而言，我们需要摆脱目前对灭鼠剂的依赖，转向更加综合和基于生态的方法。