Today at least 64 young Camden schoolchildren from the Early Childhood Development Center and Riletta T. Cream Elementary School were sickened when they drank from cartons Guida’s Dairy milk that had been filled with some sort of disinfectant or sanitizing liquid. Some observers said the milk had an “antiseptic” smell.
Here’s the tweet from Camden Public Schools District:
Unfortunately, many cartons were filled with the sanitizer, sealed, and then shipped out with the milk. We pulled all milk today and NO milk will be served until the investigation is completed. Emergency teams were dispatched to the school.
— Camden Schools (@CamdenSchools) March 30, 2022
According to nj.com, the district reported that 33 students were sent to two area hospitals after vomiting and feeling ill. Eleven children went to Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and at least 22 were sent to Cooper Hospital. The children have been released and are “okay.”
“Others may be going (to the hospital) as additional precaution and as other impacted students are identified,” school district spokeswoman Valerie Merritt said, noting that students first discovered the substance by opening some of the cartons. “We pulled all milk today and NO milk will be served until the investigation is completed. Emergency teams were dispatched to the school.”
Neither Guida’s Dairy nor the maker of the sanitizer provided comment.
In addition to school officials and local police and EMT units, the Camden County Health Department, Hazmat team, food company, Aramark, as well as the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and Department of Education responded to the incident, Merritt said.
