Six nurses and a police officer were treated after exposure to a hazardous substance at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital around 10 a.m. Monday, officials said.
Yakima Police spokeswoman Yvette Inzuza said several staff members at the hospital became ill after a nurse found a man smoking in one of the rooms at the hospital on Monday morning. A Yakima police officer who responded also became ill, she said.
Officials are concerned about possible fentanyl exposure, she said. The officer is recovering, and a total of six nurses were sickened and are being evaluated, officials said.
No other patients were affected, a news release from Memorial said.
The Yakima Fire Department, Sheriff's deputies and hospital security also responded. They cleared and ventilated the area, and closed public access to the hospital during the response.
The situation was resolved shortly before noon, and the hospital has reopened to visitors, the news release from Memorial said.
