Hazmat teams test Pine Level grounds after kids return from recess with skin irritations

Instead of pre-K to fifth grade students shuffling into Pine Level Elementary School on Tuesday morning, Autauga County residents nearby the school saw Alabama National Guard troops filing inside.

Since Friday afternoon, Pine Level Elementary parents have been concerned for the safety of their children after about 40 students returned from playing outside with itchy eyes and irritated skin. When kids returned to school on Monday, more of them reported similar symptoms after recess.

That’s when officials decided to keep the kids inside until afternoon pickup and ask for more help identifying an explanation for the students’ reactions.

After talking with the families of students who had bad reactions after recess, school officials said initial symptoms included itching, burning and stinging eyes, throats and skin. They also said students' symptoms seemed to subside after several hours.

By Monday afternoon, troops from the National Guard’s Civil Support Team had arrived on site to conduct environmental testing, and they returned on Tuesday morning, a day that had been converted to e-learning until the environmental tests could be completed.

“They are testing the air and environment to try to determine what, if any, chemical contaminants may be in the area affecting the students and staff,” Alabama National Guard spokesman Cody Muzio said. “We’ll be there working until we’ve got an answer, positive or negative.”

By 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the cause of the symptoms was still unknown, though multiple agencies confirmed that there were no poisons or toxins present on the school’s campus.

Autauga County Schools officials decided to let students and staff return to school as normal on Wednesday after a thorough cleaning of the inside and outside of the building.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the National Guard’s Civil Support Team, local fire and regional Hazardous Material Operations fire units, the Autauga County Emergency Management Agency and the Alabama Department of Public Health all indicated a “lack of conclusive evidence” to determine the cause of the symptoms.

“While the good news is there are no harmful chemicals in the area, the inability to pinpoint an exact reason for these adverse reactions is frustrating for everyone,” a statement from Pine Level Elementary School administrators read.

The source remains a mystery, but officials have ruled out several possibilities.

Some residents suspected an off-campus fire that occurred on Friday may have been the root of the problem. On Saturday, Autauga County Schools officials said local authorities confirmed that the fire was releasing only carbon dioxide, which would not result in the widespread irritation.

Another theory from officials investigating the situation was that a commercial truck traveling down Highway 31 “had an accidental chemical leak near the school.” In the statement released to parents on Saturday, school officials said wind patterns may have carried matter from the spill to the school playground.

That day, the local fire department sprayed down the entire playground, and authorities gave the go ahead for students to return as normal on Monday.

Even as students’ reactions continued on Monday, Autauga County Schools officials said they were confident the cause was not a poison or toxin. With testing continuing all day on Tuesday and coming up inconclusive, the school system said state and federal experts concluded that students may have been “overexposed to pollen growing in the area − which has been extra potent for many people this year.”

“Pine Level Elementary School will return to normal operations on May 3 after confirming no identified environmental poisons or toxins and thoroughly cleaning all interior and exterior areas,” a statement from the elementary school on Tuesday afternoon read. “Local agencies will continue to test over the next few days to leave no stone unturned.”

To avoid more potential reactions on Wednesday, school administrators said students will have “limited outside time.”

Hadley Hitson covers the rural South for the Montgomery Advertiser and Report for America. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work, subscribe to the Advertiser or donate to Report for America. 

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Hazmat teams test Pine Level Elementary for cause of skin irritations