Three University custodians working in Huestis Hall early Tuesday morning went to Sacred Heart Medical Center after one of them called 911 and reported dizziness because of chemicals in the building.
While the custodians were cleaning up, they reportedly thought they smelled chemicals in the air. Eugene Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department spokesman Glen Potter said one of the employees reported having “experienced dizziness and lightheadedness.” Five minutes after the call, at 2:30 a.m., two medic units, a fire truck, the Hazardous Materials Team and two Eugene Police chiefs arrived at Huestis Hall.
The police, HazMat Team and fire teams searched and evacuated the building, but did not detect any chemical releases. At 4:15 a.m. they turned the problem over to the campus Department of Public Safety.
“There was an odor, and by the time the fire department got there it had dissipated,” said DPS dispatcher Wendy Rouse.
The three custodians, whose names were not disclosed, were released from Sacred Heart at 6:30 this morning, according to Kay Coots, the Environmental Health and Safety director at the University.
“They were taken more as a precaution,” Coots said. “They were there for observations.”
Coots said the University is still investigating Huestis for any possible dangerous chemical smells in the air, but so far, no one has found anything.
Huestis Hall is part of the University’s science complex. It houses mostly neuroscience and marine biology classes, but it is also used for other sciences.
[email protected]