Emergency personnel, including the state HazMat Team, responded to Duxbury High School late yesterday afternoon when 40 members of the girls’ varsity lacrosse team complained of upper respiratory distress while practicing on the turf field. According to Duxbury Fire Captain Robert Tripp, who was on the scene, all members of the girls’ team exhibited signs of respiratory distress and complained of tasting blood.

Earlier today, a two-member team from the Department of Public Health (DPH) went to the turf field with officials from the high school, fire department and Department of Public Works to test the area and take samples. “First our people thought it was mold in the field, but the DPH guys said no way, it’s not,” said Superintendent of Schools Benedict Tantillo, who was offsite during the inspection. “They think it was a very high pollen count because it’s been very dry -- we’ve had less than half the [normal rainfall] – and the drainage pipes. Our pipes drain right into the marsh and between the pollen and the marsh gas coming back into the pipes, that was the cause of the distress.”

Fire Chief Kevin Nord, who was at the scene yesterday and today, said the winds and dry conditions made marsh gas poisoning the most likely culprit.

“Their symptoms are consistent with marsh gas poisoning,” said Nord. “That’s why the boys’ track team, the tennis team and baseball, all of which were practicing nearby, didn’t have symptoms.”

Nord said marsh gas poisoning, which contains methane and hydrogen sulfide, can be fatal but the fact that the field is open air was to the teams’ advantage. He attributes the issue to a perfect storm of winds, warm weather and lack of snowfall. According to Nord, the field was being flooded Thursday afternoon to fill the drainage traps and that should resolve the issue. Once the town’s health agent certifies the turf field safe, practice and games will resume there. At this point, there’s no concern that the turf itself is an issue according to all officials questioned. A representative of Sportexe, the company which installed the field, said Sportexe has never received a health complaint about their product.

Duxbury Schools’ Athletic Director Tom Holdgate said that boys’ lacrosse games scheduled for today and Saturday will go on, even if the team needs to use an alternate field.

Calls to the girls’ lacrosse team members were not immediately returned.