POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office released an autopsy and toxicology report Friday confirming that a second pest control worker died from pesticide exposure following a fumigation at a Pompano Beach warehouse.
The release of the findings regarding the death of Anderson Pest Control worker Jason Lambert, 45, comes two weeks after the Broward medical examiner found that co-worker Leon Johnson, 64, of Hollywood, also died of exposure to sulfuryl flouride. The toxic gas is used to kill a variety of insects and rodents, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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Cris Anderson, who owns the Palm Beach County-based company, was also sickened and later hospitalized following the ill-fated fumigation at the Baer’s Furniture Warehouse, located at 1589 NW 12th Ave.
In Lambert’s case, acute cocaine toxicity was listed a contributing factor. Like Johnson, authorities ruled Lambert’s death an accident.
Toxicology report:
Previous Broward investigation
A five-page investigation report into Johnson’s death, obtained by Local 10 News on June 9, alluded to the possibility of “mishandling” of poisonous gas canisters.
According to the Broward County report, investigators spoke to Anderson while he was in the hospital. He said the three started to fall ill while they were standing inside of their truck parked outside the warehouse. It states Anderson saw Johnson and Lambert vomiting and eventually sent them home.
Anderson told investigators that he thought he and the two workers feeling sick because they were “dehydrated and tired” from working for about 32 to 36 hours straight.
“At approximately 9:30 am, Jason started not feeling well and was vomiting, Cris told him to go home,” the report states. “Around 10:30 am, Leon started not feeling well and vomiting and Cris told him to go lay down in the truck. Leon slept for about 2-3 hours. Leon woke up later and he was still a little sick but continued to work. Cris states they finished the job around 2-3 p.m.”
Broward investigative report:
Anderson then fell ill and told Johnson to “take his truck home” and that he would “have someone pick him up,” the report states. Anderson would then go to the hospital after coming back home.
Johnson would be found dead outside his home in Hollywood while Lambert would be found dead in Boynton Beach.
On April 25, the Broward investigator wrote that he received a call from an investigator with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service “to advise us that the chemical company who sold Anderson Pest Control Inc. the gas had returned over 100 canisters back to them with the valves still open and wanting to report the possibility of mishandling of the canisters.”
That same agency ordered Anderson Pest Control to halt fumigations in the aftermath of Johnson and Lambert’s deaths.
In April, an FDACS spokesperson said the agency was conducting its own investigation into the incident.