Dozens of Genoa-Kingston High schoolers nauseous, dizzy after suspected gas leak in lab

GENOA – More than 30 Genoa-Kingston High School students and two staff members were treated for nausea and dizziness by fire responders Tuesday, but authorities said they aren’t sure of the cause.

Paramedics arrived at the high school at 1:57 p.m. Tuesday while class was still in session for a suspected gas leak in a chemistry lab, according to a social media news release from Genoa-Kingston Fire and Rescue. No hazardous substance was detected at the time of the call, authorities said.

Less than 30 minutes after Genoa-Kingston firefighters responded to the scene, school officials sent a message at about 2:24 p.m. to parents, informing them of the situation. District officials shared that message with Shaw Local News Network Thursday in response to request for comment.

District leaders were informed that a chemistry experiment which included magnesium sulfate – a white, water-soluble crystalline solid chemical – caused students to feel dizzy and nauseous.

But when a hazardous response team investigated the building, they didn’t find anything that pointed to what may have made the students feel ill.

Those students immediately evacuated the building and the school nurse was contacted to review their symptoms, according to the district’s message.

“Out of precaution and safety all students in the 200 wing were removed from their classrooms and the fire department was called,” officials said in the initial message to parents. “Students involved are being assessed by first responders.”

Genoa-Kingston Fire District officials said they requested the aid of regional hazardous response team, Hazardous Materials Box 6-68, “out of an abundance of caution.”

Paramedics evaluated 34 students and two staff members, authorities said. No one was taken to a hospital for further care.

Genoa-Kingston Fire Protection District Chief Bruce Kozlowski told Shaw Local News Network on Wednesday that the DeKalb Fire Department provided personnel and equipment to perform a hazardous material investigation.

They found no hazardous gas or compounds in the school, Kozlowski said.

Kozlowski said Wednesday he wasn’t sure what caused 36 people to feel sickly but said he’s confident hazardous gas was not the cause.

In a later message sent by the district at 6:05 p.m. Tuesday, officials wrote that the district’s administrative staff would continue to investigate the situation for other possible causes.

As a part of their response, school officials also contacted DeKalb County Poison Control Center and Flinn Science Company, to inquire about the details of the lab kit, according to district documents.

Following the DeKalb crew’s efforts, the high school was deemed safe. Authorities also called Nicor to the building. Nicor officials found what authorities said was “a small gas leak, unrelated to the incident, which has been mitigated,” according to the release.

Kozlowski said he didn’t know where in the school the leak was discovered, but confirmed the leak never posed any danger to students or staff.

Crews from the Hampshire Fire Protection and Marengo Fire & Rescue districts, as well as Kirkland Fire Department aided in the emergency response.

“We would like to thank all our first responders and Nicor Gas for quickly arriving and assessing the scene,” school officials said Tuesday night. “Their professionalism and rapid response were instrumental in securing the scene and determining that the situation and school environment were safe.”

This story was updated at 8:10 p.m. April 3, 2025.