3 Dartmouth police officers hospitalized after chemical exposure

DARTMOUTH, Mass. (WLNE) — Three Dartmouth police officers were hospitalized after being exposed to hazardous chemicals while responding to a call Wednesday morning.

According to officials, at approximately 9:20 a.m., Dartmouth police responded to a home on Matthew Street to check on a man who was reportedly in an altered mental state.

When police arrived and began assisting the man, they said they were overcome with a strong chemical smell that was coming from substances the man was mixing in his home.

After backing away, all three officers responding reported experiencing dizziness, sore throats, irritated eyes and noses and headaches. They were taken to St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford out of an abundance of caution.

The man the officers were assisting was also taken St. Luke’s.

Investigators said they found several chemicals, which they determined were legal, inside the home that the man was reportedly mixing.