A chemical most nasty

Paraquat is one of the mostly highly toxic (and widely used) herbicides in the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even ingesting a small to medium amount of the chemical can lead to heart, kidney and liver failure and lung-scarring within a few days to a few weeks of exposure. In a petition addressed to Butte County Supervisor Maureen Kirk, local author and activist Gayle Kimball maintains that some almond growers in residential areas around Chico are currently using paraquat on their crops without posting warning signs, citing one local orchard in particular. Go to www.tinyurl.com/banparaquat to read the petition.