Reeking odor sickens students, school staff

No one needs to be hospitalized after the pesticide malathion is sprayed nearby

STORY SUMMARY »

St. Joseph School in Waipahu evacuated about 465 students, faculty and staff yesterday afternoon after someone sprayed the pesticide malathion behind a classroom building, filling the air with noxious fumes.

Twenty-nine students and two teachers who felt sick were checked by paramedics at the scene, but no one was taken to a hospital, said Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the Emergency Services Department.

The 31 individuals reported eye and throat irritation.

Two recent similar incidents at Waimea Canyon Middle School on Kauai led a seed company to announce that it will not spray the pesticide Warrior near the school while tests are being performed.

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FULL STORY »

Twenty-nine children and two teachers at St. Joseph School in Waipahu were sickened yesterday by a noxious odor traced to the spraying of the pesticide malathion -- which led to the evacuation of all 465 students, faculty and staff.

Those treated complained of eye and throat irritation, a city official said.

Frantic parents and family members came to pick up their children at the pre-kindergarten-through-grade-8 school. But the fire engines, ambulance vehicles and a city articulated bus (in case it was necessary to transport patients) were parked on Farrington Highway in front of the school, causing a traffic jam.

Some parents and relatives knew nothing of the incident and were frantic after seeing the emergency vehicles.

Danna Kay Ballesteros, 19, who went to pick up her little brother, said, "I was panicking when I got to the chapel."

Elsie Fernandez said she was concerned about her 7-year-old daughter after hearing an announcement on the radio. "I rushed over here to get her," she said. "It's really spooky. Fortunately, she's not affected."

Her daughter Chloe Fernandez, a second-grader, clung to her mother and said, "I feel OK. I'm just scared. I'm shaking a little."

At about 1:30 p.m. yesterday, someone on campus or the surrounding parish grounds applied malathion near Building N along a fence line that separates the schoolyard from the rectory, and strong winds carried the chemical fumes to the classrooms, fire and school officials said. The non-air- conditioned building houses classrooms for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and the third and sixth grades. The sixth-grade class reported the smell, school officials said.

The school has 425 students and 40 staff and faculty.

Fire Capt. Terry Seelig said the school did an excellent job of segregating students who reported symptoms from those who were OK, and contacting parents to pick up their children.

Those without symptoms were taken to the church next door.

Those with symptoms were taken to a separate building where their blood pressure and oxygenation levels were checked.

Third-grader Anela Gaspang, 8, said, "I had a coughing feel and it got a little hard, and my throat started to hurt."

After a triage tag saying "contaminated" was placed on her, "I started to cry a little. I thought something was going to happen to me," Anela said. "Once the firefighters cleaned up the chemicals, we started feeling better."

Dallas Carter, campus minister, said the often twice-weekly practice drills for fire, hazardous materials and medical emergencies paid off.

When asked whether the practice of spraying pesticides would be halted during school hours, Principal Beverly Sandobal said, "The main thing is the children are safe."

She said the school will look into the spraying, but she did not have all the details yesterday afternoon because school officials were busy ensuring the children were safe and able to get home.

A man whose young sister-in-law is a student said, "It's an overreaction. ... It's like going to your back yard and spraying roundup. I think it was basically an honest mistake."

But he acknowledged that while he was driving to the school, "I was freaked out. My heart was racing."