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Paraquat



>From: Clyde Gorsuch <cgrsch@CLEMSON.EDU>
>paraquat/Gramaxone is NOT banned in the US. It is a restricted use
>herbicide, but is still a valuable tool to burn back vegetation. It does not
>kill most weeds, young seedlings occasionally.
Dear Clyde,
Thank you, I stand corrected. Paraquat is also "restricted" in Mexico and
other Latin American countries, which does little to halt its unrestricted
distribution and use.  Paraquat is the single pesticide responsible for more
deaths in Latin American than any other--nearly 20,000 deaths a year were
attributed to paraquat in the last statistics I saw a couple of years ago.
Paraquat is a terrible poison that is absorbed through the skin, causing
fibrosis of the lungs and other problems, including death. Since no
protective clothing is used in Latin America (children are often given the
job of carrying the spayer) its true health effects are probably
devastating, though largely unknown due to unreporting. Paraquat should be
banned.
Ronald Nigh
Dana Association
Mexico
danamex@mail.internet.com.mx