Munson Healthcare officials say they've treated 33 people for contamination, and six have been hospitalized after an F-16 military jet from the Texas Air National Guard crash landed in Grand Traverse County Thursday.
The medical center said the majority of those who were treated were first responders and are in stable condition.
The crash came after a pilot safely ejected from his plane and discharged his parachute during a routine training exercise near Interlochen.
According to the Associated Press, another pilot can be heard talk with air traffic controllers saying that his wingman hit a bird and then crashed. Military officials have not confirmed these details.
Witnesses at the scene told WCMU black smoke was "billowing out of all of the pieces of the plane" after it crashed. The pilot is in stable condition, according to the Michigan State Police.
Munson Healthcare is warning that those within a mile of the crash site at County Road 633 and Blair Townhall Road may have been exposed to the toxic materials.
The Grand Traverse County Emergency Department briefly ordered an evacuation of the area after the crash, which has since been rescinded.
“Due to the plane crash that took place in Blair Township earlier today [Thursday], some first responders and community members were exposed to a hazardous chemical called hydrazine,” Munson Healthcare wrote in a statement.
According to the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), hydrazine is a chemical found in jet fuel and can cause symptoms such as shortness of breath, vomiting and nerve inflammation.
“(Hydrazine) could irritate mucous membranes, either your eyes, your nose, your mouth or throat, but most importantly, the lungs,” said Munson Healthcare’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joe Santangelo. “In serious cases, it can cause trouble breathing and fluid in the lungs that can be fatal.”
The ATSDR reported that those who have been exposed may have an increased risk of cancer, but that the “cancer-causing effects of hydrazines have not been well studied in people.”
Santangelo said that Munson Healthcare will be working with the local public health department to understand the long-term risks of chemicals released from the crash.
Munson said that anyone affected by the crash can come in to any of its centers to be examined.
“Anybody who was within one mile of the crash that is experiencing any symptoms such as wheezing or trouble breathing or respiratory symptoms should come in and can be evaluated,” said Munson Healthcare's Chief Communication Officer Megan Brown.
If you were within one mile of the crash and are asymptomatic at this time, we ask folks to just keep track and monitor their symptoms over the next couple days.”
The plane crash remains under investigation, according to the Texas Military Department.
