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Hazmat scare shuts down Gwinnett hospital ER

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — An overnight hazmat scare shut down the emergency room for several hours at Eastside Medical Center in Snellville.

The hazmat scare involved a chemical substance and patient complaining of breathing problems, Gwinnett County authorities told Channel 2’s Darryn Moore.

“We had a patient come in that had some signs of symptoms, but also a suspicious package he received out his home,” said Gwinnett County Fire Department Capt. Tommy Rutledge.

Doctors and nurses stopped the man from coming inside the ER to prevent any possible exposure to patients and employees. Rutledge said patients were escorted out of the emergency room as a precaution.

“We temporarily closed walk-in patients and ambulance traffic to the hospital,” Rutledge said.

He said hazmat crews tested the substance and found it was sugar water, which was no threat to anyone.

Medical staff continued treating patients throughout the situation, he said. The emergency room is back to operating as normal.