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Paint Thinner? Two Hospitalized By Fumes At Ridgewood Treatment Plant In Glen Rock

Two employees at Ridgewood’s wastewater treatment plant in Glen Rock were hospitalized Saturday morning after being overcome by fumes.

Authorities were trying to determine the source of the fumes at Ridgewood's wastewater treatment plant in Glen Rock.

Authorities were trying to determine the source of the fumes at Ridgewood's wastewater treatment plant in Glen Rock.

Photo Credit: Boyd A. Loving

Two Ridgewood Water employees and a Glen Rock DPW employee "detected a foreign odor coming from inside the treatment center and went inside to investigate" around 7:30 a.m., Glen Rock Police Lt. Christopher McInerney said.

"During their brief investigation, they began to feel sick and exited."

Two of the employees were taken to The Valley Hospital, McInerney said. The third refused medical attention, he said.

Glen Rock police, firefighters and EMS were joined by a Bergen County Hazardous Materials Unit at the Prospect Street facility.

The Hazmat unit detected a light VOC (volatile organic compound) reading "coming from an unknown solvent, possibly paint thinner, that was most likely dumped down a drain by a RW Water customer," McInerney said.

The state Department of Environmental Protection was notified for further investigation, the lieutenant said.

Boyd A. Loving took the photo and contributed to this account.

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