Children at Mass Sickened by Fumes

Dozens of elementary school children, teachers and parents suffered minor respiratory and eye irritations from gasoline fumes that leaked into an Eastside church Friday morning during a Mother’s Day Mass, officials said.

About 30 children, as well as several parents and teachers from Resurrection School at 3360 Opal Street, were taken to area hospitals suffering from nausea, headaches, dizziness, watery eyes and other problems. About 50 other children were treated outside Resurrection Catholic Church, which is next to the school, but were not sent to hospitals.

County health and emergency response officials said exposure to the fumes should not cause any long-term harm.

The fumes apparently originated from a container, holding less than a gallon of gasoline, found in a storage room at the church, said Gerald P. Munoz, supervising hazardous-materials specialist for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Munoz said it appeared that vapors from the gasoline, which was stored for use in a lawn mower, seeped into the church through the ventilation system.

To correct the problem, fresh air was being circulated through the church, and all rooms in the church and the school were being checked for trapped vapors, he said.

Armando Rivera, a fifth-grade teacher at the school, said about 300 students and several parents were at church for a Mass that began at 8 a.m. The fumes became overwhelming near the end of the service about 45 minutes later, he said.