18 staffers at Graham Correctional Center in Hillsboro have been taken to area hospitals after an apparent exposure to an unknown substance.
The situation began Wednesday afternoon when an inmate began showing signs of medical distress. Prison personnel responded, but soon also began to display symptoms, including nausea and disorientation. A spokesman for AFSCME, which represents prison employees, says a total of 18 workers were transported, and some were being held for observation.
It was not immediately known what the individuals at Graham might have been exposed to, but the union official says hazards from exposure to contraband substances like the drug fentanyl are a growing problem in Illinois prisons.
