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Substance Found in Irvine Home Was Mountain Climbing Chalk, Not Drugs, Police Say

Two police officers became dizzy while investigating a possible burglary in an Irvine home Tuesday, but the suspicious substance that might have triggered the symptoms were determined to be harmless, police said.

Orange County Fire Authority dispatched a hazardous materials response at around midnight to the 40 block of Gardenpath in Irvine to assist Irvine police in uncovering a possible drug lab, OFCA Capt. Larry Kurtz said.

Authorities first responded to a burglary call, according to Irvine Police Department Commander Matt Mahoney. The owner of the home who made the call was arrested Tuesday morning.

A suspected drug lab was discovered inside the residence located in a gated community, Kurtz said.

Authorities determined there were two chemicals, neither toxic nor dangerous. One is used to remove moisture from the air. The other was a type of chalk.

Police said the homeowner is an avid mountain climber and the chemicals found inside are what he uses to train his body for high altitudes.

"This is the environment he sets up to deplete the oxygen in a room to help with his training,” Mahoney said.

Neighbors said the man was preparing to climb Mt. Everest.

Two Irvine police officers were overcome by a substance and became ill when they went inside the home to investigate the burglary call, Mahoney said. They were treated at the hospital with non-life threatening injuries and were later released, Kurtz said. There was no explosion or fire.

"It's obviously a substance that's made our officers ill, and so we're very concerned about that, for our officers, our fire department personnel, and the community at large here," Mahoney said.

SWAT team members secured the home so hazmat crews could search for possible chemicals and drugs inside.

Three homes nearby were evacuated while hazmat crews continued to go through the home and tested substances found inside.

Rick Montanez, Vikki Vargas and City News Service contributed to this report. 

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