Official: Only one Olivet student actually sick

OLIVET – A health department official said today he believes only one Olivet College student actually may have been ill enough to be transported by ambulance to an area hospital.

The other 54 were sent to area hospitals as a precaution, Barry-Eaton Health Department Medical Director Robert Schirmer said. He said the investigation into last week's incident that started as a possible carbon monoxide poisoning incident is now closed.

He said reports of other students fainting were unrelated.

Schirmer's determination came after several contradictory reports late last week about the cause of the incident and how many students were affected. Schirmer himself told Olivet College officials Friday a small number of the people sent to area hospitals were actually sick, though he told the Lansing State Journal later that day he was unsure and needed more time before announcing a final conclusion.

In total, 55 Olivet College students were sent to area hospitals Sept. 9-10. Most of the students affected live at Blair Hall, a men's dormitory built in the 1920s. It was evacuated Wednesday afternoon last week after several students were taken to Hayes Green Beach Hospital in Charlotte and Oaklawn Hospital in Marshall with symptoms that included headaches, dizziness and nausea.

All students were released and returned to campus by Thursday morning. But they stayed at Cutler Event Center with others from Blair Hall until the dorm reopened Thursday afternoon.

Schirmer said the first student reported sick was suffering from headaches, dizziness and nausea. When emergency medical services crews started testing other students on site, their CO levels appeared to be elevated and they were sent to local hospitals for more tests.

Schirmer said additional students at the dorm went to local hospitals because they were concerned they may be sick, too.

The Olivet Fire Department spent three hours on campus conducting carbon monoxide tests Sept. 10. The department also installed carbon monoxide detectors in Blair Hall and college officials said a company was brought in to conduct more air tests, as well.

Fire officials said there were no indications carbon monoxide levels were elevated on campus.

John Truba, emergency services director for Hayes Green Beach Hospital, oversees Eaton Area EMS. He said his staff will be reviewing their response to the incident over the next few weeks to see if any procedural changes are needed.

"We will review all of circumstances regarding this response because we've never had anything like it before," said Truba. "Any time you have a situation of this magnitude you always look for lessons learned."

"The evaluation of Olivet College students at area hospitals was precautionary, in the context of an unknown medical situation," said Schirmer. "At the college, 16 students had a positive screening test for carbon monoxide which proved to be a false positive. None of the elevated results on the screening test were confirmed when the students' blood was tested at the hospital. Concerns about the situation, prompted in part by the reports of the elevated screening results, led to recommendations for evaluation of additional students."

Maria Davis, provost and dean at the college, said there have not been any new reports of illness since Blair Hall was evacuated Sept. 10 after students there fell ill.