Watch CBS News

Paulsboro High School Open Day After Fumes Sickened Some Students

By Justin Finch

PAULSBORO, N.J. (CBS) - School is on for Paulsboro High School students today after a strange odor sickened more than a dozen people at the Gloucester County school yesterday.

Emergency Management Personnel tested the air quality at the school this morning. Superintendent Walter Quint says air readings have come back clean:

"All of the monitors from the different agencies - county, local, the refinery itself, department of environmental protection - have been here, and they've cleared the school as they did an extensive tour of Paulsboro High School, checked it, and there's nothing of concern."

Quint tells CBS 3 Eyewitness News that tests will be run at other area schools as a precaution:

"We have not had concerns in those schools, but just as an extra precaution there going to walk through with the monitors just to make sure."

Sixteen students and staff members were sent to the hospital Wednesday complaining of headaches, blurry vision and other issues related to the odor, which was traced back to a leaky oil tank at the Paulsboro Refinery.

Officials at the refinery say that leaky tank was emptied and resealed, hopefully eliminating the problem for good.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.