2 students taken to hospital after incident involving substance in vial

PENN HILLS, Pa. — Two children were taken to be checked out at a hospital Wednesday morning after an incident involving a vial of what had been an unknown substance at a school in Penn Hills, Channel 11’s Renee Kaminski reported.

Emergency crews were called about 10:30 a.m. to Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship.

Kaminski learned that a second-grade student brought the vial to school. The substance the vial contained, which the principal said looked like lip gloss, was applied by the child and another second-grader.

A teacher isolated the two students from the rest of the class and paramedics and firefighters responded.

“EMS quickly isolated the two children who came into contact with substance, and those children were transported to Forbes Regional Hospital in Monroeville as a precaution,” Penn Mills EMS Supervisor Diane Fitzhenry said.

A total of 24 students were in the classroom at the time, but only the two 7-year-old girls who came in contact with the vial were taken to the hospital.

An EMT at the scene told Kaminski that the child received the vial as a souvenir while visiting a lab over the weekend.

The incident was quickly resolved and classes resumed. Officials said the substance was determined to be an anticoagulant used during routine blood work.

“Because it was in that type of tube, we took every precaution to make sure our students were safe,” Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship Principal Tamara Allen said.

School officials said they have no idea why the student brought that vial to school. There was no word on whether she will face disciplinary action.

Cox Media Group