RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A clogged toilet in a first-floor restroom at a Virginia Veterans Affairs hospital caused a backup and subsequent leak that led to an evacuation of the area.

McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center spokesman Patrick Gordon tells local media that a foreign object flushed down one of the toilets caused the Monday incident. Contaminated water leaked into a basement area where medical instruments are sterilized.

Areas for patients weren’t affected.

Todd Woessner, safety and health officer for the local American Federation of Government Employees union, says sewage spilled on HVAC units, pipes, walls and carpeting in the basement.

Gordon says cleanup efforts began immediately after the incident, and an “independent third-party hygienist” will come in to ensure it’s safe to resume sterile processing in the area.