"Odors are part of life in Mecca, a small farming community in the Southern California desert 140 miles east of Los Angeles.
It's surrounded by miles of pesticide- and fertilizer-laden agricultural fields, and it's on the shores of the notoriously smelly Salton Sea, a large lake that has no outlet and is fed by agricultural runoff water.
What's occurred in Mecca since December is something different.
Residents and workers have reported a mysterious, episodic stench so overpowering that paramedics have been called to Saul Martinez Elementary School three times since December to assist sickened students, teachers and staff."
Keith Matheny and Marcel Honore report for USA TODAY Jne 29, 2011.
Source: USA TODAY, 06/30/2011
