The Tuscola County Sheriff’s Office is apologizing for an incident that occurred this morning that affected students at a nearby elementary school.
On Tuesday, September 9, the sheriff’s office was handling discharge of expired pepper spray canisters in their back lot. Though the canisters were discharged directly into the ground, an unexpected amount of spray still carried beyond the sheriff’s office property, reaching Schall Elementary School on Caro’s Frank Street.
Pepper spray is primarily made from Oleoresin Capsicum (OC), a natural extract from chili peppers that contain the same compounds that make peppers spicy. When dispersed, the spray can irritate the eyes, skin, and nose, which unfortunately affected students and staff at Schall Elementary.
The Caro Police Department along with Caro Fire and Caro Rescue responded to the school this morning at 8 a.m. regarding students reporting being overcome with a toxic smell that was causing eye, nose and throat irritation. Originally, students were affected while on the playground, with the irritant then spreading into the school.
Emergency responders arrived and attempted to ascertain the cause of the irritation, unaware of the disposal at the sheriff’s office. The students were eventually evacuated, and emergency responders with MMR and Caro Rescue started triage on the students. All students needing assistance were monitored, and the irritant was eventually determined to be the pepper spray. The school windows were opened and the school was aired out.
Though it is unclear how many people were affected by the spray, the Tuscola County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that they are working directly with the school to remedy the situation. The incident also prompted the immediate review of procedures for disposing of expired chemical agents by the department, with safety protocols to be enhanced to ensure the incident is not repeated.
