In May 2011, students at LeRoy Central School District in
northwestern New York State started exhibiting tics, spasms and
nonsense speech. Some even claimed to suffer blackouts and
seizures. A total of 19 students from various grades and classes
have reported symptoms. After searching for potential infectious
causes, the school district last week approved further
environmental tests, according to Nature. New York State Health
Department investigators have ruled out some environmental
factors and infectious agents, including Streptococcus, which
can cause a tic-like syndrome called PANDAS or PANS for
Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome. Although
investigators found no contaminants in the air or water within
the school, the building is located some 5 kilometers from the
site of a 1970 chemical spill that released "cyanide crystals"
and trichloroethene (TCE) into the surrounding area, and some
worry that this could be affecting the students. Though TCE has
been linked to conditions such as cancer, li