A student who inhaled a toxic mixture of chemicals at Northeast Portland’s Benson Polytechnic High School on Tuesday is expected to survive, Portland police said at a press conference Wednesday.
Portland Public Schools Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong speaks at a press conference on Sept. 9, 2026 in Portland, Ore., following an incident involving a student at Benson High School on Sept. 8. Police said a 15-year-old boy inhaled a toxic mixture of chemicals he had brought from home, and then he spilled some of that mixture on the floor.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
The school was evacuated Tuesday morning after a chemical spill in the cafeteria.
Police said a 15-year-old boy inhaled the toxic mixture of chemicals he had brought from home, and then he spilled some of that mixture on the floor.
The boy was treated at the scene and then hospitalized in critical condition.
Police clarified on Wednesday that he did not drink the mixture.
Portland Public Schools Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong said Wednesday at the press conference that staff and students responded heroically in the incident’s immediate aftermath.
She said staff members performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator while they waited for emergency responders to arrive.
“They gave the student and everyone nearby the best possible chance at a positive outcome,” Portland Fire & Rescue Chief Lauren Johnson added. “And their actions made a real difference yesterday.”
Portland Police Chief Bob Day said the goals of the ongoing investigation are to determine the student’s intent and to mitigate any further impacts to the Benson High community.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day speaks to reporters at the press conference on Sept. 9, 2026.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
He said investigators had already seized multiple electronic devices and are combing through evidence posted online, involving “numerous students, multiple phones, and multiple social platforms.”
Using surveillance video, they were able to track the student’s movements before he went to the cafeteria.
As of Wednesday morning, Day said there was still no clarity on whether the student intended to harm only himself or to harm others as well.
Day did say that investigators believe there is no ongoing threat to the school community.
Johnson said the exact contents and the combination of the chemical mixture are still unknown to fire investigators.
But she reiterated that smelling the odor of the mixture does not mean people inhaled enough to be sick.
Jim DeFrain, the supervisor of the Metropolitan Explosive Disposal Unit, said the mixture was likely made from common household products.
“There was not some sort of nefarious chemistry going on here,” he said. “This is pretty common stuff that just gets mixed together and can off-gas in a way that can make you very sick.”
Portland Police, Portland Fire & Rescue, and Portland Public Schools officials meet outside of Benson Polytechnic High School in Northeast Portland on Tues., Sept. 8, 2026.
Elizabeth Miller / OPB
Portland fire and medical crews were initially called to the school at about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. They noted within minutes that the spill was contained within the cafeteria.
The school was evacuated so emergency responders could evaluate the building and identify the chemicals involved.
PF&R spokesperson Rick Graves said up to 200 students and staff members were evaluated on nearby athletic fields. He said no other people were injured or sickened as a result of the incident.
Graves also said a hazardous materials crew was able to neutralize the chemicals that had spilled. At the press conference Wednesday, DeFrain told reporters that the hazmat team FaceTimed his team, who was stationed outside the building.
“They showed us everything they had seen,” DeFrain said.
From there, DeFrain’s team also went into the building and collected samples, which were then sent to Salem for testing.
Portland Fire is on avenge of a potential hazardous materials spill at Benson Polytechnic High School.
— Portland Fire & Rescue (@PDXFire) September 8, 2026
PIO monitoring the scene and will update here with information.
All classes and activities at Benson were canceled Tuesday and Wednesday. School is expected to resume as normal on Thursday morning. As students return, Armstrong said the district’s Trauma Intervention Program will be there to offer “voluntary emotional check-ins”.
“There is help if they want to talk about this incident or need further support,” Armstrong said.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden spoke about the incident on Wednesday during a youth mental health hearing at the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health, which is located on the University of Oregon campus in North Portland.
Seated at a table in front of a room of mental health professionals, Wyden said, “We all are grieving this morning.”
“We have young people who are walking an economic and healthcare tightrope,” Wyden said. “We know that these tragedies are happening all over the country. It’s in our community today.”
OPB reporter Bryce Dole contributed to this report.
