LANGHORNE, PA – The Neshaminy High School (NHS) girl’s locker room has faced an ongoing odor issue throughout the facilities due to reasons unknown.

With multiple sports a year, such as softball, field hockey, soccer, lacrosse, etc. whose athletes utilize the locker rooms every day, NHS has been confronted with the question: Where is the smell really coming from? 

“I first noticed the smell a little bit before the middle of the softball season last year, so about mid-march,” current NHS Softball player Zahmira Coppola-Miller noted.

With this ongoing issue, the smell hasn’t gone away or dissipated over the summer. Some hypothesized that it could be a dead animal or the sewage system. Without any plan for a solution in sight, issues like these have the potential to inconvenience players who occupy the locker room.

This revolving issue has become a concern for the players who utilize the locker room. With no end in sight and no solution available, the players are left to deal with the stench for another school year.

“It’s kind of disturbing because we don’t know where the smell is coming from,” Coppola-Miller indulged. “For all we know it could be mold building up in the air.”

Breathing in mold can cause a multitude of health concerns including coughing, a runny nose and difficulty breathing. These side effects could greatly affect the young athletes that occupy the locker rooms.

“I walked through the locker room with another PE teacher, Ms. Johnson,” physical education and health teacher Brittany Beck explained. “We both immediately smelled the foul stench.”

Confirmation from the teachers brings a new light to the “foul” smell that is overtaking the girl’s locker room. The stench, while being an ongoing issue, has become an easy fix for the athletes. 

“I believe the smell is coming from the shower drains,” Beck clarified. “If shower drains are not used frequently, sewage gases can seep up.”

The toxicity of sewage gases isn’t toxic at low levels. However, chronic exposure can lead to sewage gas poisoning, according to healthline. While the smell may be a temporary inconvenience, the long-term health effects could impact the athletes.

“Maintenance has been notified and the issue should be resolved soon,” Beck remarked.