Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Child’s Death
A full set of TDA documents related to this case including the Lubbock
Police Department report are available online at
http://hankgilbert.com/phostoxin
FACT SHEET
Phostoxin is the trade name for aluminum phosphide manufactured by Degesch,
the same company that manufactured Zyklon B—a similar fumigant—used to
exterminate persons held in concentration camps during the Holocaust.
FACT: TDA was well aware that Phostoxin was in use by Red River Commodities
and had been for years. [Pesticide Complaint 01-07-0074, Incident 00003035, Page
4]
FACT: Red River Commodities staff lied to TDA inspectors about how Phostoxin
applications at the company. [Pesticide Complaint 01-07-0074, Incident 00003035,
Page 6]
FACT: Although Red River was fined less than $2,000, TDA planned to send the
mother of the deceased two-year-old a threatening letter essentially blaming her for
her own child’s death. [PERC documents, page 2]
FACT: TDA admitted that Red River Commodities failed to properly secure the
Phostoxin by failing to keep it under lock and key. [PERC documents, page 4]
FACT: In 2007, TDA had only 136 regulatory inspectors on staff according to data
from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. This was an increase of only two
inspectors from the 2006 low of 134 (an election year low) coming after an all-time
pre 2008 high of 150 inspectors.
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Pol. Adv. paid for by Hank Gilbert for Agriculture Commissioner
FACT: Although TDA says they couldn’t locate Anthony Fred Evans—and
presumably has not yet served Evans with his notice of violation given the fact that
the agency recently told the Texas Attorney General’s Office this case was still
pending—Lubbock County records indicate that Evans served a 55-day jail sentence
for Driving While Intoxicated in 2009; TDA had ample time to serve Evans and
prosecute him through the Administrative Hearings process in 2009.
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Pol. Adv. paid for by Hank Gilbert for Agriculture Commissioner