January 13, 2011
Fire and Hazmat crews were called Thursday morning to Poland Seminary High School for a chemical spill.Township Police Chief Brian Goodin said someone in a biology lab accidentally spilled a solvent on the floor as they were moving some chemicals around. Around 8:30 a.m., someone was cleaning and knocked over a bottle of Xylene, a clear, colorless liquid that can be very flammable. Students were asked to leave the classroom where the spill was contained, but the building was not evacuated, said township Police Chief Brian Goodin.
"It had an odor to it, and as a precaution, they called the fire department,” he said. “It was determined that it was nothing of any major issue. They used big fans to blow the area out, and fortunately it was by one of the main doors." "Everybody was fine," Goodin said. "As a precaution they called in an ambulance just in case something were to happen, but they got out OK. They will be back to their classes."
Hazmat crews were called in to clean it up and air the room out from the odors. The school did not have to be evacuated. Goodin said school officials handled the situation by the book.
