It was the light after all. At least officials from Philadelphia’s health department think so.
More than two weeks after dozens of youth cheerleaders left a competition at Father Judge High School with eye and skin irritations, city health inspectors revealed their best guess at the cause of the illnesses.
In a letter distributed to victims on Dec. 21, Dr. Steven Alles, of the Division of Disease Control, reported that a “single defective metal halide lamp (lightbulb) was found at the center of the gymnasium ceiling.”
That broken bulb exposed attendees of the Dec. 4 competition to ultraviolet light, while the symptoms reported by victims were consistent with “UV-induced photokeratitis.”
“Fortunately, the health effects associated with UV-light exposure resolve quickly and completely. There are no lasting health or vision effects from this type of UV-light injury,” Alles further wrote.
Ironically, school and city officials had previously dismissed the possible connection of defective lights to the illnesses. But those same authorities found no other possible explanation after thorough testing of the air and surfaces in the school’s gymnasium.
Hundreds of cheerleaders and their families had attended the eight-hour cheerleading event that Sunday. In the hours afterward and on the following morning, as many as 200 attendees showed up at hospital emergency rooms in the area complaining of eye and skin irritations. Some also had rapid heartbeats, according to a health department spokesman.
Generally, medical personnel cleansed the patients’ eyes and faces and sent the people home.
At least one early news report of the then-unknown threat mentioned the broken light as a possible cause, citing undisclosed sources. But school and city officials subsequently called the report erroneous, although they offered no other explanation.
Philadelphia police investigated but ruled out the possibility that someone intentionally introduced a caustic substance to the crowded gym. ••
