STARKVILLE — Three children were treated at Oktibbeha County Hospital this week after they ingested sodium hydroxide outside a building in Brookville Gardens Apartments.
The Starkville Police Department and Starkville Fire Department responded to a hazardous materials call Thursday at about 3:15 p.m. and discovered the children, ages 2, 3 and 5, had ingested sodium hydroxide granules, SPD Chief David Lindley said. The children, who police did not identify, came across the chemical near a public service manhole outside Building 19.
The sodium hydroxide had been spilled by city work crews who were using it to clear a sewer line, Lindley said.
Relatives took the children to the emergency room at Oktibbeha County Hospital to be treated for their injuries and the area was decontaminated. The children suffered burns to their hands, arms, eyes and mouths.
“There were no life-threatening injuries,” Lindley said.
Sodium hydroxide is strongly corrosive. Other common names are caustic soda and lye, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Acute effects resulting from short-term exposure to high concentrations of the chemical include irritation and burning of the skin, eyes, nose, windpipe and lungs.
As of Friday afternoon, the children had been released from the hospital. The incident is still under investigation.
Brookville Gardens is located on Evergreen Avenue, just east of Westside Park.
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