Meriden, Conn.-based MidState Medical Center locked down for three hours April 20 after a man entered the hospital's emergency room with what police said was a white powdery substance on him later revealed to be baking soda, according to the Record-Journal.
The hospital reopened around 9 p.m. April 20. The affected patient and three nurses "will be alright," said Meriden Police Sgt. John Mennone, according to the Record-Journal.
The man who entered the hospital's ER on the evening of April 20 with a white powdery substance on also had numerous packages of the substance in his pockets, according to police. Further investigation revealed the substance was baking soda, Mr. Mennone said April 21.
"Some of the nurses that were caring for this individual started becoming sick as well," Mr. Mennone said. "They were experiencing nausea and some headaches as well."
None of the hospital's other patients were affected in "any way, shape or form," he added. The ER patients were transported to other parts of the hospital and all hospital entrances were closed, according to police.
As a bomb squad, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the city's fire department investigated the incident, patients were diverted to hospitals in Southington and New Britain, Conn., according to Hunter's Ambulance Executive Vice President David Lowell. Additionally, ambulances were staged outside the hospital to treat arriving patients.