Massachusetts
11 children taken to hospital from Massachusetts day care with skin irritation, soap dispensers investigated
A Wellesley, Massachusetts day care was shut down after a dozen children came in contact with an irritant that left the skin on their hands red.
Reaction similar to sunburn
The Wellesley Fire Department said the reaction was similar to a sunburn. HAZMAT teams are investigating the liquid in the soap dispensers to see if that is the culprit.
“We haven’t exactly pinpointed what the irritant is, but we think it may have something to do with the soap dispenser possibly. It’s not airborne or anything like that,” said Wellesley Fire Chief Steve Mortarelli.
Wellesley police believe it may be some type of dishwasher detergent that got mixed in. They say the reactions range in intensity from child to child, which leads them to believe there could be varying concentrations of the irritant in the dispensers.
Fire crews originally came to the Bright Horizons day care on William Street to treat just one child.
“On response we were evaluating, when several other children came up with a very similar issue,” said Chief Mortarelli. “Eleven of the children have been transported to area hospitals, and all minor superficial rashes.”
Day care shut down for investigation
The whole building is currently shut down for an investigation, but typically there are roughly 40 kids at the day care. Parents were seen getting into ambulances as their children were taken to the hospital out of an abundance of caution.
“Anytime there is children involved we are always going to have a response like this,” said Chief Mortarelli.
The children impacted range from one to five-years-old. There was a mix of reactions to seeing the first responders.
“You know how kids are. Some think the fire trucks are cool, some were uncomfortable and scared, and some were playing it cool,” said Chief Mortarelli.
WBZ-TV reached out to Bright Horizons for comment, but so far, we have yet to get a response.
Fire broke out at an apartment building in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, on Monday afternoon, sending a column of smoke high into the air.
NBC affiliate WJAR-TV reports the smoke was visible from miles away from the building on Juniper Road.
More details were not immediately available.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Life Care Center of Raynham has received a deficiency‑free inspection result from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, a distinction awarded to a small share of the state’s licensed nursing homes, according to a community announcement.
The inspection was conducted as part of the state’s routine, unannounced nursing home survey process overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. These comprehensive, multi‑day inspections evaluate multiple aspects of facility operations, including staffing levels, quality of care, medication management, cleanliness, food service and resident rights.
State survey records show that Life Care Center of Raynham met required standards during its most recent standard survey, with no deficiencies cited, based on publicly available state data.
The announcement states that fewer than 8% of Massachusetts nursing homes achieve deficiency‑free survey results. That figure could not be independently verified through state or federal data and is attributed to the announcement.
In addition to the state survey outcome, the facility is listed as a five‑star provider for quality measures on the federal Medicare Care Compare website. The five‑star quality measure rating reflects above‑average performance compared with other nursing homes nationwide, according to federal rating methodology.
Officials said the inspection results reflect ongoing compliance with state and federal standards designed to protect resident health and safety. According to the announcement, the outcome is attributed to staff performance and internal quality practices.
This story was created by Dave DeMille, ddemille@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
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