40 Students, Teachers at Long Island High School Taken to Hospital After Being Overcome by Fumes: Officials

More than three dozen students and faculty at a Long Island high school were taken to a hospital Tuesday after being overcome by some kind of fumes, authorities said.

Peter Mcardle, chief of the West Babylon Fire Department, said firefighters were called to West Babylon High School shortly after noon after students and teachers reported having trouble breathing. Some were experiencing burning in their throats, he said. Others suffered nausea and dizziness. 

The school was evacuated, affecting about 1,300 students, and 36 students between the ages of 14 and 18 along with four faculty members were taken to the hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said. None of those transported were admitted to the hospital, but some were still being assessed hours later.  

Mcardle said the fumes were in a major hallway of the high school near the home economic class, though the source of the fumes is not known.

Seven fire departments responded and school was canceled for the remainder of the day, as were after-school activities. 

Authorities said Tuesday night that the school has been cleared of the fumes and classes will  resume on Wednesday. 
 

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