29 Atlanta Students Sickened in Science Class

ATLANTA, Ga. — No cause yet known for their itchy skin, authorities say.

Twenty-nine students from Brown Middle School in southwest Atlanta were transported to the hospital Monday afternoon with complaints of itching during a science class.

The students, whose names were not released, were taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding for treatment, according to a hospital spokesperson. The cause of the students’ skin irritations remains under investigation.

Paramedics were called to the school around 12:15 p.m. on a report of a student having an allergic reaction, Atlanta fire Capt. Marian McDaniel said.

“Once they arrived, they encountered several students having the same type of symptoms,” McDaniel said.

Students experienced irritated skin, but no breathing problems, according to Stephen Alford, spokesman for Atlanta schools. None of the injuries were believed serious.

The third-floor classroom was first evacuated, followed by other classes on the same floor as a precaution, Alford said. Parents of the students affected were called, he said.

Air monitoring was conducted to test for a variety of toxins, including carbon monoxide, McDaniel said. But those were negative, she said.