Ramona

A woman who claimed to have been exposed to gases from gopher poisons that she was selling reached a $90,000 settlement with the county of San Diego last week.

Marjorie Grisak, 39, worked as a secretary at the Ramona-Julian Resource Conservation District for a year until 1989, with duties that included selling pesticides for the county Department of Agriculture.

Gas from the gopher poison, which was packaged and distributed by the county, contained zinc phosphide and gave her excruciating headaches and made her nauseated, Grisak claimed. She had trouble staying awake at her desk.

“Immediately after her experience, they brought that particular pesticide back to their central facility for distribution. I’m not sure if they are still using it, but they are controlling it better if they do,” said Arthur Skola, Grisak’s attorney.