A school had to be evacuated because of a pumpkin spice air freshener
Everyone’s favorite fall flavor could be turning against us. Last week, a Baltimore high school was evacuated because of a pumpkin spice air freshener, and we have so many questions. Like, huh? And, have we created a pumpkin spice monster?
The Baltimore Sun reports that an “unusual” smell wafted through the third floor of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Upper Fells Point on Thursday, making some people feel sick; others found it harder to breathe. It’s difficult to hear that the ever-delicious pumpkin spice scent could cause such distress, and TBH this sounds like the plot of a millennial-themed horror movie.
After the smell had permeated throughout the building, everyone was evacuated and the fire department arrived.
According to The Sun, the fire department requested a Hazmat team after arriving at the school, and they ran various tests for hazardous materials. All of the test results were negative, and eventually they identified the strange smell’s source — a pumpkin spice aerosol plugin.
This story would be funny if the mystery scent hadn’t actually caused any harm, but two students and three adults ended up going to the hospital because of their nausea. Maybe everyone’s favorite seasonal seasoning isn’t so magnificent after all.
"It was a smell that they certainly weren’t used to," Bill Heiser, the school’s president, told The Sun. "It appeared to be getting stronger."
The students and faculty of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School did the right thing by evacuating the school after noticing the strange, sickening smell. “It’s better safe than sorry,” said Roman Clark, the Baltimore fire department’s spokesperson.
Still, to think that a pumpkin spice-scented air freshener could have invoked fear among students is quite disturbing
Pumpkin spice is as much a fall staple as booties and colorful leaves are, and to think that something that’s intended to bring joy could cause any sort of distress forces us to ask ourselves some deep questions. Is there anything that’s purely good left in the world anymore? Pumpkin spice is usually the source of so much happiness and comfort, and this feels kind of like a betrayal.
Or, perhaps, is it our own fault for taking the pumpkin spice obsession so far that things that shouldn’t be pumpkin spice-themed, like air fresheners, for example, are being packed full of repugnant, artificial flavorings and causing people to feel ill?
Because of these loaded feelings following the air freshener incident, The Sun reports, the Baltimore school made a counselor available to discuss the day’s dispiriting events.
We’re so glad that everyone’s okay, and it’s probably time to take a good, hard look at our country’s pumpkin spice obsession and ask ourselves the tough questions, like: Has it gone too far?
