Two weeks after visiting basketball players and fans to Roby High School gymnasium in Texas reported sore throats, headaches and other symptoms, investigators have found the cause: a broken light.
Administrators initially suspected a chemical irritant used on the bleachers to be the cause of visitors' symptoms, removing the bleachers last week and having them tested. Those tests came back negative for any sign of chemical over-concentration, leaving administrators to explore other possible causes.
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During the investigation, someone noticed that there was still an odor in the gym, despite the absence of the bleachers. The cause turned out to be a broken metal halide light above the visitors side bleachers, which was emitting UV rays. The UV ray exposure led to visitors' illnesses.
Roby superintendent Heath Dixon says that the school plans to replace all of the gym lighting with LED. Meanwhile, all light bulbs in the gym have been replaced with bulbs outfitted with an extra casing, which won't emit rays if broken.
