Eight young members of a French choir were hospitalized due to seizure-like incidents during a performance.
In an unexpected turn of events, eight youth choir members from Chœur d'Enfants d'Île-de-France experienced seizure-like symptoms during a concert at St. Paul’s Church in Harvard Square, Boston, on July 24, 2025. The choir, based in Paris, France, was in the middle of a US tour at the time.
The incident occurred around 7:30 PM, with a child suffering from a seizure inside the church. The affected choir members, aged between 11 and 13 years old, were found distressed outside the church entrance shortly after. Approximately 70 other attendees were unaffected.
Following the incident, the choir members were taken to various hospitals in Massachusetts. Fortunately, all hospitalized choir members have since been released.
The Cambridge Fire Chief, Thomas Cahill, stated that the incident was somewhat unusual. No hazardous substances were found during an environmental sweep of the church by the Cambridge fire department’s hazardous materials unit. However, officials have suggested that the symptoms may have been caused by exposure to fumes from cleaning supplies used in the church.
No other causes such as infectious diseases or toxins have been reported in connection with this incident. The prompt hospitalization and statements from the Cambridge Fire Department support the fumes exposure hypothesis as the most probable cause.
Interestingly, some people in attendance reported smelling something unusual before the children began showing symptoms, but no audience members came forward with relevant symptoms.
The choir was performing as part of a US tour, and the concert marked one of their stops. The choir's tour continues, and investigations into the cause of the incident are ongoing.
The incident at St. Paul’s Church, Boston, on July 24, 2025, has sparked discussions in the field of health-and-wellness, with neurological-disorders, specifically seizure-like symptoms, affecting eight choir members. Medical-conditions related to mental-health have also been a concern as the cause of the symptoms remains unclear. The unusual fumes from cleaning supplies used in the church are suspected to have contributed to this perplexing health episode.
