MORNING SENTINEL • October 29, 2020
Employees at the New Balance factory in Skowhegan returned to work Thursday after an investigation determined a COVID-19 cleaning product was responsible for a chemical exposure last week that sent five people to the hospital. A New Balance spokesperson said Thursday the cleaning product came into contact with some of the factory’s equipment, causing a reaction. By the time rescue crews arrived at the shoe factory, five employees had been affected by the cleaning chemical, and that number eventually grew to 20. About 70 New Balance employees were decontaminated before leaving the scene, and all who were affected by the chemical recovered by the end of the night.