A corrections officer at Benner Township state prison was taken to the hospital on Wednesday night after being hit in the face with a white powder while cleaning an inmate’s cell.
It’s the latest in dozens of exposure incidents over the past month to sicken employees at state correctional institutes. All state prisons have been on lockdown since last week and new safety and security measures have been implemented.
On Wednesday night, two officers at SCI Benner were cleaning out a cell after an inmate had been removed and placed in observation, according to a DOC release. One of the officers picked up a pair of socks and took them apart, causing a white powder to puff out from the socks and hit him in the face.
The officer who was exposed to the powder began to show symptoms including hanging his head and not responding to his name. He was taken to the prison’s medical department then transported to Mount Nittany Medical Center. An update on his condition was not available.
Both officers were wearing gloves when they were cleaning the cell. The second officer did not require medical attention.
The cell has been isolated and will not be used until a special team has cleaned it.
On Aug. 28, two employees at SCI Rockview became ill and were taken to the hospital after handling inmate-related documents. Both were treated and released.
More than 50 prison employees statewide have fallen ill in exposure incidents since the beginning of August. Corrections officials have said that those are believed to be the result of exposure to synthetic marijuana, which had entered some prisons soaked into the paper of letters and books to be ingested.
On Wednesday the state announced new protocols for drug detection and inmate mail and visitations.
