Friday, May 23, 2014
Pollution
Bleah. Someone nearby is spraying some kind of pesticide or herbicide. Can hear the compressor-sprayer rig several houses away. The vapor is making me semi-ill and semi-headachy. Never smelled this before. It's nothing like the old DDT smell. Slightly resembles the ethylene aroma of a bad tomato, plus a dash of camphor as in mothballs or dry-cleaning. Clings to my nose and lungs and tongue, but it's NOT one of my favorite things.
I hope they're not going to make a habit of this. I'm trying to get some work done, and this is slowing me down.
Is this Roundup? Can't find any clear descriptions of the smell online, except the word "distinctive". That's true for damn sure, but unhelpful. (Does Roundup produce Short Sentence Syndrome?)
Later: After having this stuff in my nose and pharynx for a few hours, a recognizable insecticide smell finally emerges as the 'base note'. Not DDT; more like the insecticide in household sprays like Raid.
= = = = =
And a month later, after noticing exactly when and where the smell is strongest: It's not Roundup at all. It's the neighbor's diesel truck. He must be using some kind of biodiesel or "ethanol-diesel" fuel if such a thing exists.
¶ 11:42 AM 
