Dozens of Genoa-Kingston High schoolers nauseous, dizzy after suspected gas leak in lab

GENOA – More than 30 Genoa-Kingston High School students and two staff members were treated for nausea and dizziness by fire responders Tuesday, but authorities said they aren’t sure of the cause.

Paramedics arrived at the high school at 1:57 p.m. Tuesday while class was still in session for a suspected gas leak in a chemistry lab, according to a social media news release from Genoa-Kingston Fire and Rescue. No hazardous substance was detected at the time of the call, authorities said.

Fire District officials said they requested the aid of regional hazardous response team, Hazardous Materials Box 6-68, “out of an abundance of caution.”

Paramedics evaluated 34 students and two staff members, authorities said. No one was taken to a hospital for further care.

Genoa-Kingston Fire Protection District Chief Bruce Kozlowski told Shaw Local News Network on Wednesday that the DeKalb Fire Department provided personnel and equipment to perform a hazardous material investigation.

They found no hazardous gas or compounds in the school, Kozlowski said.

Kozlowski said he’s not sure what caused 36 people to feel sickly but said he’s confident hazardous gas was not the cause.

Following the DeKalb crew’s efforts, the high school was deemed safe. Authorities also called Nicor to the building. Nicor officials found what authorities said was “a small gas leak, unrelated to the incident, which has been mitigated,” according to the release.

Kozlowski said he didn’t know where in the school the leak was discovered, but confirmed the leak never posed any danger to students or staff.

Crews from the Hampshire Fire Protection and Marengo Fire & Rescue districts, as well as Kirkland Fire Department aided in the emergency response.