Lawmakers react to chemical exposure at Upstate Correctional Facility
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MALONE, New York (WPTZ) — A bizarre incident involving chemical exposure at the Upstate Correctional Facility in Malone is under investigation by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision after a total of 20 staff members and two others were sent to Alice Hyde Medical Center this week.
Among those affected were 12 correctional officers, seven nurses, an office assistant, an EMS worker, and an inmate, all of whom were treated after being exposed to an unknown chemical on Wednesday evening.
Reports suggest that the individuals began feeling lightheaded, dizzy, and nauseous following an interaction with an inmate who had been involved in a fight with another inmate. The symptoms prompted immediate medical attention, and the affected personnel were transported to the medical center.
This unsettling incident has raised significant concerns over prison security and safety measures, prompting both state lawmakers and local leaders to call for action.
Assemblyman Billy Jones [D-NY 115] expressed the need for stricter protocols to prevent dangerous substances from entering correctional facilities.
“We need to come up with something policy-wise to make sure that this contraband and these very dangerous substances do not get into the facility and endanger the hardworking men and women that work in those facilities,” Jones said.
Meanwhile, Republican state Sen. Dan Stec [R-NY 45th Senate District)] emphasized that the ongoing investigation would help determine the cause and the compound involved.
“This is all going to be dictated by the investigation. What happened, what was the compound? How did it get in? And hopefully, we’ll be able to determine that and then obviously adjust procedures from there,” Stec said.
In the aftermath, Narcan was administered to the affected staff members, and they were isolated in the hospital’s emergency department for observation before being released that same evening.
However, the spouse of one staff member spoke with NBC5, revealing that their partner had to return to the hospital the following night after feeling ill again. That person was later released.
The exact substance involved in the exposure remains unclear, leaving local leaders anxious for answers.
“Hopefully they get some sort of closure that this was the chemical, this is how it got in. And then whatever that looseness was that allowed that to happen, hopefully it can be tightened down,” Stec said.
Hazmat teams conducted a thorough inspection of the prison but did not find any known hazardous materials.
Officials from the Department of Corrections told NBC5 that no new updates have been provided, and there is currently no specific timeline for when the investigation will be completed.
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