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PA MISSISSIPPI WOMAN ORDERED TO ANSWER PESTICIDE CHARGES

Release Date: 02/20/98
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1998
MISSISSIPPI WOMAN ORDERED TO ANSWER PESTICIDE CHARGES

On Feb. 13, Margaret Stewart of Clarksdale, Miss., was served with a summons to appear in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi in Oxford to answer an indictment that alleges she illegally sold the pesticide Endosulfan to the public in improperly marked containers. Endosulfan is an organophosphate pesticide which is highly toxic to the nervous system. Exposure can cause headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, tremors, convulsions, coma and death from respiratory arrest. Ms. Stewart allegedly sold Endosulfan in milk and bleach containers without pesticide warnings required by law. If convicted on both charges, the defendant could face a maximum sentence of up to two years in prison and fines of up to $200,000. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce.

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