8 children taken to hospitals after seizure-like symptoms at Harvard Square church concert

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Eight children at a church near Harvard University where a French youth choir was holding a concert suffered seizure-like symptoms and were taken to hospitals, possibly the result of fumes from cleaning supplies, officials said.

The symptoms were not life-threatening, the Cambridge Fire Department said in a news release. About 70 other people in attendance at the concert Tuesday evening at St. Paul's Parish in Harvard Square were not affected.

The children, described as preteens and early teens, were doing fine Wednesday and were all released from local hospitals, according to the department. The Cambridge Fire Department's hazardous materials team determined fumes in the building could have come from cleaning supplies used shortly before the first complaint, the department's release said.

Crews first received a call about a child suffering from a seizure. When firefighters arrived, the child was sitting outside of the church but was not actively having a seizure, Fire Chief Thomas Cahill said.

“That quickly escalated into seven other people having seizure-like symptoms,” Cahill told WCVB-TV.

The department's hazmat team “completed a thorough survey of the St. Paul buildings utilizing several air sampling meters to ensure that no hazardous conditions were present,” the press release said. “Results were negative, and the buildings were ventilated.”

St. Paul's Facebook Page said a French youth choir, the Chœur d’Enfants d’Île-de-France, was offering a free concert at the church on Tuesday night as part of its 2025 U.S. tour.

“Founded in 1970, the youth choir has traveled extensively and performed with some of the world’s top conductors and soloists,” St. Paul's said. “The concert will feature and exciting mix of sacred and secular repertoire, as well as popular French songs.”

Messages seeking comment were emailed to St. Paul's. The Harvard Catholic Center, the Catholic chaplaincy for Harvard University students and other academic institutions in the area, referred questions to the fire department.