Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
CEDAR CITY — About 25 people were sent to be checked for elevated carbon monoxide levels after being exposed to an "exhaust fume-like smell" at a Cedar City middle school Thursday.
Parents of students attending Canyon View Middle School at 1865 N. Main received a text just after 1 p.m. informing them of a school evacuation. After the exhaust-like smell was reported in one wing of the school, staff and students were evacuated until paramedics could test the air, according to the alert.
Iron County School District said in a statement that Cedar City Fire Department monitored the air and didn't find any dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. Some students and teachers experienced headaches, dizziness and nausea, prompting paramedics to test their carbon monoxide levels; 25 displayed levels above normal and were "advised to be further checked by a doctor," per the school district.
The Cedar City sheriff's office believes the carbon monoxide exposure was caused by from ongoing construction in the building. A representative from the school district explained a remodel was underway adjacent to the hall where students and teachers first noticed the smell. Gas-powered equipment including generators were used to prepare a cement floor.
An email was sent to parents Friday morning, as additional students called out from school to seek medical treatment. "In the midst of the emergency, school staff received conflicting information from medical personnel regarding carbon monoxide levels that should be further tested." According to the email, 24 students and staff members were seen in the emergency room Thursday, and many were then sent to St. George for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
The school was monitored Friday morning by the Cedar City Fire Department and cleared for occupancy. Gas-powered equipment will be used after school hours in the area of the school under construction.
