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Riverside Community College Deals With Intense Odor On Campus

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — Students and faculty at Riverside Community College have been dealing with the distraction of an intense odor on campus, and some are getting sick from it.

The odor is allegedly coming from the new Math and Science building on campus, which was opened less than two years ago.

The school made attempts to deal with the odor as reports were made.

"They did something with the drains to sort of keep the gas from coming up," RCC Biology Professor Virginia White described.

White moved her students out of their lab in the science building after she and students began feeling ill.

"The students weren't feeling well," White said. "I wasn't feeling well."

However, only some of the 19 labs on the top floor of the building are dealing with the smell.

"It's not everywhere, but it's in certain locations," RCC Spokesperson Jim Parsons said. "And so we really want to get that kind of nailed down."

The school resorted to consultants to inspect the building and test the air, as well as the ventilation systems.

In Professor White's former lab, 24 chemicals were detected in the air, whereas the neighboring lab contained seven. The chemicals are reportedly within safety standards, and do not pose a health risk.

Other possible causes of the odor are still under investigation.

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