Two New Bedford High School Students Sent to the Hospital in Chemical Exposure

This article has been updated to include information from the New Bedford Fire Department that two dozen students have been taken to the hospital due to chemical exposure.

NEW BEDFORD — An incident at a chemistry lab at New Bedford High School on Thursday morning resulted in two-dozen students being taken to the hospital for exposure to chemicals, according to a statement from the fire department.

An ambulance was called to take two students to St. Luke's Hospital, while 22 others were taken via school bus "out of an abundance of caution," the department stated.

All of the students' symptoms were described in the release as "mild."

Firefighters were called to the school just before 10 a.m. Thursday for a reported exposure incident involving chemicals at a science lab, according to scanner chatter.

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Hazmat crews and public schools staff are providing support information to hospital staff, and fire crews have conducted air monitoring at the high school, according to the department.

The department found that it was safe for classes to continue.

New Bedford Public Schools staff, fire investigators and police are investigating the incident.

Fire department personnel are remaining at the scene to ensure safety.

It is unclear exactly what chemical was involved, or if the exposure was caused by a chemical spill or another incident.

Chemical spills are known to occasionally take place at school science labs, with a minor spill at Tabor Academy last September causing the evacuation of students and staff in the building for nearly three hours.