Mystery odor sends CSI staffers, toddler to the
hospital
City emergency units evacuate
the Children’s Center but find no irregularities in air quality
Staten Island Advance - Saturday, March 25, 2006
Four staff members and a toddler from the College of
Staten Island’s Children’s Center spent several hours at the
hospital for observation yesterday afternoon, after complaining of
sore throats caused by a mysterious odor.
City emergency units who responded to the center
said they detected no discernible irregularities in the air quality.
Approximately 70 children and 30 staff members were
evacuated to the nearby college cafeteria. No other buildings were
affected and parents were called to pick up their children.
One parent’s 11:30 a.m. emergency call prompted the
evacuation and a full-force response by the Police and Fire
departments, HazMat (Hazardous Materials) team and the Department of
Environmental Protection.
Firefighters and officials with the Department of
Environmental Protection remained at the pre-kindergarten for
several hours, scouring the facility for potential causes for the
scare.
The smell may have been caused by burnt pancakes and
maple syrup on the school’s electric range, they said.
A clear, supposedly odorless, ant-killing gel used
by an exterminator Wednesday was removed from cracks in the wall,
although officials were quick to point out the substance, Maxforce
FC, is indicated for use in all facilities, including hospitals and
schools.
“Whenever there are children involved you are going
to be more cautious,” said Gene Martinez, director of public safety
for the college. “We responded and took care of it.”
But the firefighter parent who first called 911, and
whose toddler was the one taken to the hospital, said the school
should have alerted emergency services immediately.
School officials said the college’s overseer for
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and safety
personnel were immediately brought on site when a teacher first
tipped administrators to the odor at about 10:30 a.m. Youngsters in
the class were taken out of the building for a walk, then moved to a
different classroom, they said.
When emergency workers arrived, the toddler and two
staff members who had complained of discomfort were taken by
ambulance to St. Vincent’s Hospital in West Brighton.
Two additional staff members subsequently left the
college cafeteria for evaluation at Staten Island University
Hospital, Ocean Breeze, officials said.
“I was a little scared when I heard about this. Now
I see it’s fine; I trust the Children’s Center,” said parent
Geraldine Thomas, as she picked up her 4-year-old daughter from the
cafeteria.
The federally subsidized school caters exclusively
to CSI college students, who pay $2 an hour for day care for their
children aged 6 months to 4 years.
Teachers said they will likely conduct lessons
Monday to give youngsters an opportunity to talk about the incident.
By DEBORAH YOUNG
Reprinted here with permission
from the
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