paghat wrote:
In the United States it is classified a "restricted use pesticide"
(herbicides are categorized as pesticides) & is no longer available for
general use in gardens, though it was not very long ago paraquat was as
common & overused as RoundUp is now. It is illegal to obtain without a
special handling permit for certified applicators, who are banned from
using it around homes, schools, golf courses, playgrounds, or recreational
areas -- it still gets used on crops & near watersheds unfortunately. I
thought it was banned last year in the UK too but if you can still buy it
I guess not.

Some sicko in the Portland area got a hold of some, and used it to poison
meat he (or maybe she) would leave around public parks. Dogs would find it,
and before anyone could stop them, they'd start eating it. They died painful
deaths.

Given it's relative availability compared to other agents as lethal, my bet
is that if there is a significant terrorist chemical attack, parquet will be
what they'll use. This is not something that typical home owners who barely
glance at labels should even have available to them. There are few
situations that cannot be handled less lethally, and more effectively in
some other manner.

--
Warren H.

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