UPPER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — The source of the chemical odor at Sharp Packaging Solutions that on Friday sickened 54 employees and sent them to area hospitals has not yet been determined, officials said Wednesday.
“The last I heard, they haven’t found the source of the smell,” Upper Macungie Township Police Lt. Pete Nickischer said.
“I do know the company brought in a private subcontractor for testing to determine the source of the chemical smell.”
Representatives of Sharp did not immediately respond to email requests for comment Wednesday.
“The last I heard, they haven’t found the source of the smell."Lt. Pete Nickisher, Upper Macungie Township Police Department
Employees in Building 01 of the Allentown campus on Friday complained of a variety of conditions such as headache, nausea, vomiting and sore throat.
A statement issued by Sharp on Friday said the Lehigh County Emergency Management Agency conducted an extensive hazardous materials evaluation and found no evidence of any hazardous chemicals or odors at the pharmaceutical packing company.
“We are currently working closely with local officials to investigate the source of the odor,” the statement said.
Thirty people were taken to Lehigh Valley Health Network facilities — 20 to the Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) Cedar Crest facility and 10 to LVHN-Muhlenberg.
The first call from the Sharp facility to Lehigh County 911 was made around noon Friday. Township police and fire department and EMS crews immediately were dispatched to 7451 Keebler Way.
The building’s production floor was shut down and evacuated.
Nickisher said he believes the odor was confined to the building and did not endanger the general public outside the facility.
“We had people outside, including me, and no one reported smelling anything,” he said.\
