By Greg Welter
The Chico Enterprise-Record

WILLOWS, Calif. — A woman living on South Butte Street was taken to a hospital Thursday afternoon after officials discovered she had covered her body and the floor of her entire residence with a pesticide called Sevin.

Glenn County Sheriff Larry Jones said the woman called county agricultural officials Thursday morning to report that insects were crawling over her body and throughout her residence.

An ag department employee who responded to her home was alarmed when he looked inside and saw the floor covered with about a quarter-inch of the powdery insect killer.

He called 9-1-1.

The woman, said to be in her 50s, was decontaminated by members of the Willows Fire Department and transported to Glenn Medical Center for a mental health assessment.

Fire Chief Wayne Peabody said the home was sealed, and may be left that way for 30 days, while dangers from the pesticide dissipate.

Officials said the home didn't appear to be infested with bugs.

The woman also allegedly coated the inside of her vehicle with the chemical. It was also sealed and towed away, Jones said.

Though a known human carcinogen, Sevin is sold over the counter under the name Carbaryl, Peabody said.

He said hazardous-materials crews wore a high level of protection when they entered the home and sealed up doors and windows. With the pesticide contained to the interior, Peabody said it poses no threat to surrounding residences.