Astria Sunnyside Hospital returns to normal operations after Sunday radiation exposure scare

YAKIMA — Astria Sunnyside Hospital returned to normal operations Sunday night following a visit from six individuals concerned about radiation exposure.

According to a news release from the Sunnyside Fire Department, their visit set off a chain of precautionary actions from state and local health agencies, which included diverting all incoming patients to nearby hospitals.

The six individuals arrived at the Sunnyside hospital around 1:20 p.m. Sunday, claiming they’d been potentially exposed to radiation at a job site in Benton County. According to the release from SFD, the individuals were escorted to an isolated area in the hospital’s parking lot.

The Sunnyside Police Department blocked off the area around the hospital while SFD hazmat specialists investigated the potential exposure, and Yakima County Emergency Management, the state Department of Health, Washington State Patrol and other agencies were informed of the situation.

No harmful levels of hazardous materials were detected in the individuals, the hospital or the area around the hospital, the SFD release said. The hospital returned to regular operations around 7 p.m.

In the comments of an SFD Facebook post regarding the matter, the police department responded to commenters confirming no patients inside the Sunnyside Hospital were exposed to hazardous materials and that the Washington State Patrol and the state Department of Ecology were working to determine the location of the job site in Benton County.