A children's choir was performing. Then 8 were hospitalized with 'seizure like' symptoms.
Eight children were hospitalized after experiencing "seizure like symptoms" during a church choir performance in Massachusetts on July 22, officials said.
The choir group, which included children aged 11 to 13, was performing at St. Paul Parish in Cambridge when some of them began experiencing the symptoms, John Gelinas, Cambridge Fire Department's media manager, confirmed to Paste BN.
Officials responded to the church around 7:30 p.m. local time. All eight children were evaluated and treated on scene before being transported to local medical facilities with non-life-threatening injuries. All the children were released from hospitals as of July 23, Gelinas said.
About 70 other people in attendance at the concert were not affected, Gelinas said.
Cambridge Police also responded to the scene, according to Gelinas. Paste BN has contacted the department.
Hazmat teams tested church where 8 were hospitalized
Cambridge Fire's hazardous materials team, "completed a thorough survey of the St. Paul buildings" using air sampling meters, Gelinas said.
"It was determined by our HazMat team that the source of the odor may have originated with cleaning supplies that had been used shortly before the initial complaint," Gelinas said. "After ventilating the building and utilizing metering equipment, we determined that hazards no longer existed, and the building was turned over to the owners."
After the incident, the concert attendants and the rest of the occupants inside the building left the scene with designated chaperones, Gelinas said.
French youth choir was performing free concert before incident
St. Paul Parish, which is located in Harvard Square, said in a Facebook post that the Children's Choir of Île-de-France was performing a free concert on July 22.
The group was offering a free concert at the church as part of a U.S. tour, St. Paul's said.
"The concert will feature an exciting mix of sacred and secular repertoire, as well as popular French songs," the post said.
According to its website, the Children's Choir of Île-de-France was founded by French singer Francis Bardot.
Paste BN has reached out to St. Paul Parish and the Children's Choir of Île-de-France.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for Paste BN. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.