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Sixty-four of Camden's students were impacted by the substance, NJ Advance Media reports.
School officials called 911 after 25 students at the Early Childhood Development Center on Pine Street ingested milk from sealed cartons "with an unidentified substance that had an antiseptic-like odor to it" around 9 a.m. city officials said. Eleven were hospitalized and then discharged.
Then, 21 more students and a staff member were taken by bus to another hospital and later discharged, as well.
First responders were also called to the Riletta Twyne Cream Early Childhood Development Center for five additional students, who were taken to Cooper Medical Center. They were also discharged later in the afternoon hours.
Additionally, Cooper University Health Care sent doctors to the Mulford Street location to examine 15 pediatric patients on-site who were all cleared to go home.
“This was a scary situation but thankfully, everyone who was exposed to the milk is in stable condition and either back at school or home,” said Camden County Health Officer, Paschal Nwako.
“This investigation is ongoing, and our department will get to the bottom of this situation. In addition, I want to thank all of our first responders and public health employees who worked together to protect the health and welfare of these children.”
Four schools were impacted and preliminary testing has been conducted. Officials are in communication with the milk company and are also locating and removing all the potentially affected product.
Camden's schools will be pulling all milk and will be suspending distribution until the investigation is completed, officials said.
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