SAN JOSE — Emergency personnel were dispatched to a middle school Wednesday morning when several students and at least one adult experienced respiratory distress after encountering “elevated levels” of carbon dioxide in a classroom, according to the San Jose Fire Department.
The medical call was made at 9:03 a.m. and involved Sunrise Middle School on East Julian Street, the fire department said.
SJFD spokesperson Jake Pisani said that several rescuers went to the school to examine and treat the patients, who were in a science classroom containing the elevated carbon dioxide levels, which might have been produced by an unspecified chemical mixture. The exposure caused some students at least one adult to report symptoms including difficulty breathing and an itchy throat.
The source of the carbon dioxide was removed from the classroom, and at 10:24 a.m., the fire department said that most of the patients’ symptoms were “resolving,” but that two children were taken to a hospital for further evaluation. The other affected children were released to their parents or guardians.
The department added that its hazardous materials team “also checked for numerous other airborne contaminants, all of which were negative,” and examined an adjacent classroom and found no contaminants. Pisani said there should be no lingering effects from the morning incident.