20 LA Students, Teacher Sent To Hospital Friday; Chemicals In Drain

At least 20 Livingston Academy students and one teacher transported to local hospitals Friday after chemicals being used in drains around the school began making people sick.

Livingston Fire Chief Rocky Dial said after two hours of flushing the drains by early afternoon, sensors no longer detect the chemical residue. Dial said school officials had been pouring some sort of chemicals into the drains around the school because of recent heavy rains.

“You don’t mix chemicals together,” Dial said. “We were unsure of what chemicals were used, so we just went ahead and aired on the side of caution to make sure that we were looking out for the safety of the students of the staff.”

Dial said a backup battery being used to power part of the school was going bad and emitting a pungent odor. He said while investigating the source of the smell, censors began to pick up organic compounds. He said that indicated chemicals, not a battery.

“When you pour something in the drains and it doesn’t go anywhere, it sits there, the fumes start coming back up it,” Dial said.

Overton County Emergency Management Director Chris Masiongale said crews from Clay, Fentress, Jackson, Pickett and Putnam Counties helped transport students to local medical facilities. All were released by 3pm Friday with mild headache, nausea, and dizziness.

He said the censors test oxygen levels, explosive gases, and carbon monoxide. He said most of the fumes were coming from floor drains. He said with so much rain recently, it is likely that the school was attempting to make sure that the drains remained clear.

“We rechecked the building and all of the meters were showing clear,” Dial said. “No signs of any kind of contaminant inside of the building. O-2 levels were good, so we’re pretty well sure that it was something in the drain system that was off-gassing and coming back up through the drains.”

Masiongale said hazmat crews from both Cumberland and Putnam Counties responded Friday morning.

Students were removed from the school, while officials tried to determine the cause. They were later sent home in the early afternoon.

The Friday night District Basketball Tournament set to be played at Livingston Academy was delayed to Saturday because of the situation.