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The M-44 devices were introduced in 1975 and replaced a gunpowder-fired device called the “Human Coyote Getter” after the agency determined that the M-44 devices would be safer.

Several environmental organizations, however, contend that the M-44 devices are not safe enough.

Predator Defense, a wildlife advocacy group, has been tracking human and pet injuries and fatalities caused by M-44s. In the past 30 years, Predator Defense documented one death, more than 10 human injuries and nearly 50 dogs killed by these devices.

In February 2018, Dennis Slaugh of Utah died after being poisoned 15 years earlier by an M-44, the group said. In March 2017, a teenager in Idaho watched his dog die after accidentally triggering a device near his home. In the same month, two dogs were killed in Wyoming during a family walk, according to Predator Defense.

In its decision, the EPA added a number of restrictions to reduce accidents. Among those: The devices cannot be installed within 100 feet of a public road, a distance increased from 50 feet. Also, warning signs must be placed within 15 feet of a device, decreased from 25 feet.

As part of its review, the EPA also drafted a risk assessment in 2018 and determined that “based on the continued low frequency of sodium cyanide incidents” among humans, “there does not appear to be a concern at this time.”

Under the lawsuit filed in 2017, the EPA must also determine how the poison in the devices could harm wildlife protected under the Endangered Species Act. This analysis must be completed by 2021, and the agency’s decision to continue using M-44s might be changed based on the results.

“I remain hopeful that once the EPA really looks at the science and the risks that these devices pose, that they’ll do the right thing and ban them,” said Collette Adkins, a senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity.

In May, legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., that would ban M-44s nationwide. The bill was later referred to a subcommittee, but has not progressed further.

Several states, however, have banned or limited the devices’ use, including Oregon, Idaho and Colorado.