Scientist tells of relief after speaking out over weedkiller fears

Toxicologist Jon Heylings speaks of his long-held concerns over paraquat, which is linked to thousands of deaths globally

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A scientist with one of the world's largest chemical firms took the difficult decision to speak out publicly when a new generation" of managers rejected concerns about a mass produced weedkiller that he had been expressing for decades.

Going public has been a relief", says toxicologist Jon Heylings. He worked for 28 years for Syngenta, formerly ICI, where his efforts focused on developing safer formulations of the herbicide paraquat. But in 1990 he began consistently raising internal concerns about the handling of what was one of the company's bestselling products.