Mineola dialysis center evacuated after patients sickened by strange odor, fire officials say
Patients were temporarily evacuated from the NYU Langone Health Dialysis Center in Mineola after some of them reported not feeling well and smelling a strange odor. Credit: Lou Minutoli
Nassau County firefighters temporarily evacuated a Mineola dialysis center Monday after several patients reported smelling a strange odor and feeling sick.
Mineola firefighters and the Nassau County Fire Marshal's office responded to the NYU Langone Health Dialysis Center on Old Country Road at about 11:30 a.m. Monday, Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro said.
Fire officials did not find any hazardous materials released, but NYU Langone emergency management officials evacuated patients as a precaution, Uttaro said.
The Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Hazmat response team responded to the facility and deemed it safe for staff and patients to return to the building by 1:15 p.m. No injuries were reported.
In a statement, NYU Langone Health said: "The dialysis center was temporarily evacuated due to an unknown odor and was fully reoccupied two hours later, with only minor interruptions to patient care. Following a thorough investigation by fire officials, the center is now fully operational, and all scheduled treatments are continuing as planned."
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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