Odorless fumes that stung eyes and scratched throats led to the evacuation of an exercise class for preschoolers yesterday at Providence United Methodist Church.

Sixteen children and a like number of adults were taken to Sinai and Franklin Square hospitals by Baltimore County Fire Department ambulances after the incident.

All were treated and released. A Sinai spokesman said hospital personnel examined everyone, but the condition had cleared up by the time they got to the hospital.

Kellie Patrick, of Gymboree, a franchise program for preschoolers that teaches play and movement, said the children and their parents began complaining of discomfort about 10 a.m.

A Sinai Hospital spokesman said the symptoms were consistent with exposure to Freon, a gas used in air conditioning systems, but Fire Department personnel later determined that Freon was not the cause.