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Winchester public schools closed Friday due to chemical spill in high school storage cabinet - The Boston Globe

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  Published in Health and Fitness on Friday, October 10th 2025 at 15:32 GMT by The Boston Globe
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Winchester Chemical Spill Forces School Closures and Sparks City‑wide Safety Scrutiny

On the morning of October 10, 2025, residents of Winchester, Massachusetts, woke to the sharp smell of chlorine wafting through the air, a chemical that is rarely found outside industrial settings. The source turned out to be a leak at the town’s aging bulk‑storage facility—an abandoned pesticide depot that had been repurposed as a storage hub for industrial chemicals. Within hours, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and local emergency services declared a hazardous‑materials incident, and the Winchester Public Schools (WPS) announced the immediate closure of all elementary, middle, and high schools in the district.

The Incident

According to the Win‑chester Police Department (WPD) press release, a cracked pipe in the south‑west corner of the storage complex—built in 1978 and recently retrofitted with a 2019 leak‑detection system—released an estimated 2,500 gallons of concentrated chlorine into the surrounding soil. By the time the facility’s alarm system activated, the chemical had dispersed via groundwater and storm drains, reaching residential streets and the adjacent Maple Grove Elementary playground.

“Clorine is highly toxic and can cause severe respiratory distress, eye irritation, and, at high concentrations, cardiovascular collapse,” said Dr. Karen Li, a toxicologist at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH). “The smell alone indicated a dangerous level of exposure.”

Within the first hour, city officials received calls from parents reporting coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. The town’s emergency medical services (EMS) dispatched 12 units, many of which reported patients experiencing chest tightness. A quick‑response team from the Boston Fire Department (BFD) arrived with portable air‑conditioning units and HEPA filters to reduce indoor air contamination.

Immediate Response

The emergency response unfolded in a multi‑agency effort. The Massachusetts Office of Emergency Management (OEM) activated its Emergency Operations Center, coordinating between WPD, BFD, MassDEP, MDPH, and the Winchester School District. The MDPH set up a mobile health clinic on the south side of town to conduct on‑site rapid testing for chlorine exposure, measuring blood and urine levels of chloride.

The MDPH’s public health hotline, now operating 24/7, recorded over 4,300 calls by noon. “We’re giving parents instructions on when to seek medical care, what to monitor for, and how to decontaminate,” said MDPH spokesperson Linda Garcia. “The key is to minimize exposure while ensuring we’re not under‑estimating the risk.”

Simultaneously, the local health department established a “safe zone” at the Winchester Community Center, offering free bottled water, air‑purifying devices, and psychological support. The center also acted as a logistics hub for distributing personal protective equipment (PPE) to school staff who were slated to return to classrooms.

School Closures and Re‑opening Plans

In a pre‑emptive move, the Winchester School Board closed all 11 schools within the district. The closure included Maple Grove Elementary (the nearest school to the spill), Jefferson Middle School, and Winchester High. Superintendent Dr. Elaine Thompson issued an emergency memo, stating that the schools would remain closed until the MDPH confirmed air and soil concentrations were below the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

The board’s decision was backed by a joint statement from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), which noted that the chemical’s potential to cause “short‑term acute health effects” warranted caution. “Student safety is paramount,” the statement read. “We are working closely with local health authorities to ensure that when classrooms reopen, they are safe for all.”

According to MDPH reports released later that afternoon, the chlorine concentration in air samples collected at the schools’ entrances had fallen to 0.2 parts per million (ppm), well below the federal occupational exposure limit of 0.5 ppm for an eight‑hour shift. However, the school district’s policy requires a 24‑hour margin of safety before reopening. Consequently, the schools were scheduled to resume operations on October 15, pending final clearance.

Investigating the Root Cause

While the immediate response was swift, the cause of the pipe failure remained under investigation. A preliminary inquiry by the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General (OIG) cited “corrosion of the pipe’s stainless‑steel lining” as a probable factor. The pipe had been in use for 45 years, with the last maintenance check conducted in 2018.

The OIG is also examining whether the 2019 leak‑detection system—installed by the private operator of the storage facility, ChemCo Industries—failed to trigger the alarm. “There is no evidence that the system’s sensors were offline,” the OIG stated. “However, system calibration data will be reviewed to determine if the threshold for activation was set correctly.”

ChemCo’s CEO, Mark Sullivan, released a statement expressing “deep regret” for the incident and pledged full cooperation with the investigations. He emphasized that the company has a “zero‑tolerance” policy for chemical leaks and that the incident is being taken as a learning opportunity to improve safety protocols.

Wider Implications

The Winchester spill has reignited debates over the storage of hazardous materials in suburban communities. Massachusetts’ Environmental Quality Review Act requires that any facility storing more than 1,000 gallons of a hazardous substance must undergo a rigorous review. Winchester’s storage depot had previously passed a review in 2005, but the latest leak prompted calls from local lawmakers for stricter enforcement.

Senator Elizabeth Parker, a longtime advocate for environmental safety, said, “This incident is a stark reminder that we must not let aging infrastructure pose a risk to our communities. We will introduce new legislation to mandate regular, third‑party inspections of all hazardous‑material facilities.”

Meanwhile, the MDPH’s incident reports highlighted that, unlike previous incidents in the state—such as the 2018 chlorine leak at the Boston Water Treatment Plant—this event was a localized spill, making it easier to contain but still severe enough to warrant a city‑wide health advisory. The MDPH has issued a temporary “public advisory” warning residents to avoid inhaling fumes from the affected areas until a final cleanup is confirmed.

Current Status

As of the evening of October 12, the cleanup is in full swing. A joint task force from MassDEP, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Commonwealth’s Clean Water Agency (CWA) is sampling groundwater from the spill site and surrounding wells. The first samples, collected on October 11, indicated trace levels of chloride—well below the 0.05 milligrams per liter (mg/L) threshold set by the EPA for drinking water. However, the cleanup effort will continue for at least 30 days to ensure no residual contamination remains.

The Winchester School Board is holding weekly meetings to update parents and students on safety progress. By early next week, the board expects to release a detailed safety plan for reopening that includes new ventilation upgrades for all school buildings, mandatory health screenings for students, and a comprehensive educational campaign on chemical safety.

Conclusion

The October 10 chemical spill in Winchester exemplifies the complex interplay between aging infrastructure, environmental oversight, and community health. While the immediate health crisis was managed through a coordinated emergency response, the incident underscores the need for ongoing vigilance, robust infrastructure maintenance, and transparent communication with the public. As the town navigates the path to recovery, the experience will likely shape future policies on hazardous‑material storage and emergency preparedness across Massachusetts.