First responders put on turnout gear before entering contaminated area. Photo by Joe Turner A minor toxic spill in the laundry room of South Oaks Hospital Monday morning sent eight people to the hospital with minor respiratory problems. All were released later in the day.

While initial reports indicate the incident was accidental, a full, routine investigation is underway. Police, fire and hospital spokesmen gave this account:

At approximately 7:15 a.m., Amityville Police received a call about an odor and fumes coming from the basement area where the hospital’s laundry and housekeeping rooms are located. The fumes were making employees in that area sick. An investigation revealed that a small amount of industrial-strength laundry bleach had been poured down a drain, causing the problem. The bleach is normally not exposed to the air; it is kept in 55-gallon drums and inserted directly into the laundry through a pump system.

Amityville Fire Chief Russell Sawyer was in charge at the scene and immediately initiated a routine Emergency Preparedness plan. All fire departments from the Town of Babylon and Massapequa responded to assist and provide back up at the Amityville Firehouse. Also on the scene were the Suffolk County Arson Squad and Babylon Town Fire Marshal’s office.

"Everything went very smooth and was well handled by the volunteers," said Sawyer. "We are grateful it wasn't more serious and I want to thank all the departments for their professionalism."

Mary Jean Correa, a hospital spokeswoman, said that the facility moved patients from a portion of the building that is closest to the basement’s ventilation system to ensure they were not affected by the fumes. “It turned out that the ventilation system worked very well and none of the fumes moved beyond the basement area to any other part of the building,” she said. “Most of what was done was precautionary.”

“It was a very small amount of material and the incident appears to be accidental,” said Amityville Fire Chief Donald Dobby. “The incident was under control within a couple of hours.”