10 students taken to hospital after chemical odor detected at Sacramento elementary school

Ten students were taken to a hospital Thursday with minor complaints after they were exposed to something that smelled like chemicals in a portable fourth-grade classroom at Ethel Phillips Elementary School in Sacramento, fire officials said. A Sacramento City Unified School District spokesperson confirmed the source of the odor was most likely a Freon leak from a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning unit. The students were OK when they left for the hospital and are being monitored, said Capt. Keith Wade with the Sacramento Fire Department. “We’re just thankful that no one was severely injured,” he said. A hazmat team ran tests in the portable classroom before determining the source was likely the Freon leak. “Our district facilities team is working on the A/C unit now and will make any necessary repairs or replacement,” spokesperson Brian Heap said. “That classroom won’t be put into use again until we are confident it is safe for students and staff.”The situation unfolded around 9:30 am when a student in the back of the classroom began to experience nausea and had an upset stomach , Wade said. Several other students had the same complaints as did the teacher, who then removed all 25 students from the classroom. “The teacher did the right thing,” Wade said. The teacher was taken to the hospital along with the 10 students who experienced symptoms, Wade said. Another student was picked up by their parents. The school was not evacuated and classes have since resumed. But parents of all students were called and given the option to pick up their children. Students from the affected portable classroom will be moved to a new temporary location on Friday, Heap said. Sacramento County public health officials will also be involved to sign off on the classroom’s safety, Wade said. The county’s public health department told KCRA 3 that Freon poisoning “is a serious condition that can lead to difficulty breathing, headaches, nausea and vomiting, skin and eye irritation, and coughing.”It can cause life-threatening issues if left untreated that include : labored breathing, irregular heartbeat, the buildup of fluid in the lungs, confusion, mental fatigue, loss of consciousness and seizures.

Ten students were taken to a hospital Thursday with minor complaints after they were exposed to something that smelled like chemicals in a portable fourth-grade classroom at Ethel Phillips Elementary School in Sacramento, fire officials said.

A Sacramento City Unified School District spokesperson confirmed the source of the odor was most likely a Freon leak from a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning unit.

The students were OK when they left for the hospital and are being monitored, said Capt. Keith Wade with the Sacramento Fire Department.

“We’re just thankful that no one was severely injured,” he said.

A hazmat team ran tests in the portable classroom before determining the source was likely the Freon leak.

“Our district facilities team is working on the A/C unit now and will make any necessary repairs or replacement,” spokesperson Brian Heap said. “That classroom won’t be put into use again until we are confident it is safe for students and staff.”

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Hazmat personnel located an isolated leak in the HVAC system for the classroom. The leak was emitting freon. The school district is handling repairs of the system. Fire crews have cleared the scene and the area isolated until repairs are made.

— Sacramento Fire Department (@SacFirePIO) October 13, 2022

The situation unfolded around 9:30 am when a student in the back of the classroom began to experience nausea and had an upset stomach, Wade said.

Several other students had the same complaints as did the teacher, who then removed all 25 students from the classroom.

“The teacher did the right thing,” Wade said.

The teacher was taken to the hospital along with the 10 students who experienced symptoms, Wade said. Another student was picked up by their parents.

The school was not evacuated and classes have since resumed. But parents of all students were called and given the option to pick up their children.

Students from the affected portable classroom will be moved to a new temporary location on Friday, Heap said.

Sacramento County public health officials will also be involved to sign off on the classroom’s safety, Wade said.

The county’s public health department told KCRA 3 that Freon poisoning “is a serious condition that can lead to difficulty breathing, headaches, nausea and vomiting, skin and eye irritation, and coughing.”

It can cause life-threatening issues if left untreated that include: labored breathing, irregular heartbeat, the buildup of fluid in the lungs, confusion, mental fatigue, loss of consciousness and seizures.