Representative image of a person falling unwell.
Credit: iStock Photo
At least 54 people were taken to a hospital with nausea after police responded to emergency calls about exposure to hazardous materials on Friday at a pharmaceutical packaging facility in eastern Pennsylvania, police said.
Police in Upper Macungie Township, about 50 miles north of Philadelphia, were called to the Sharp Services facility there with reports of a "chemical odour" and people feeling sick who were dealing headaches and vomiting.
Fire officials investigating the odor found no "abnormal readings," the police said in a statement, and were unable to identify the source of the smell. The facility, which employs about 150 people, has since been cleared for reopening.
The sickened people are not seriously injured, local media reported, citing hospital officials.
Sharp Services, which was founded in Pennsylvania, did not respond to questions.