Dive Brief:

• More than 60 students at an elementary school in Cortland, Illinois were treated for carbon monoxide exposure after work at a landfill prompted an odor to be released into the air.

• A contracting firm hired by Waste Management was performing routine drilling at the landfill when it hit an area of decomposing waste; the wind transported the odor to the school, where it became trapped in its venting system. 

• Waste Management were in touch with the DeKalb County Health Department and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A field inspector from the EPA visited the site and is expected to file a report outlining the incident and any potential violations that could be enforced by the agency.

Dive Insight:

Readings taken by emergency personnel at the school did not find any contaminants, and the school's hydrogen sulfide monitor did not detect the presence of harmful gas. Waste Management plans to resume work at the landfill when school is not in session or when the weather is more favorable, according to company spokesperson Lisa Disbrow.