A JETSTREAM 4100 IN CRUISE AT 17000 FT DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO PAX CABIN AIR CONTAMINATION.

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OUR OCCURRENCE HAPPENED DURING OUR FLT BTWN JFK AND BOS ARPTS. WE WERE IN CRUISE FLT AT 17000 FT. AT ABOUT XA30 THE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED AND ADVISED US THAT THE CABIN OXYGEN WAS CONTAMINATED AND THAT THE PAX AND HERSELF WERE HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING. SHE RPTED NO SMOKE OR OTHER VISIBLE CONTAMINATION IN THE AIR. SHE STATED THE OXYGEN WAS CAUSING A TICKLING IN THE THROAT AREA AND CAUSED COUGHING. THE PAX HAD ALREADY RELEASED THEIR INDIVIDUAL OXYGEN MASK AND HAD PUT THEM ON. I INSTRUCTED THE FLT ATTENDANT TO CHARGE THE OXYGEN SYS FROM THE CABIN. THE FO AND MYSELF DID NOT EXPERIENCE ANY CONTAMINATED OXYGEN IN THE FLT DECK. WE DID NOT NOTICE ANYTHING UNUSUAL REGARDING THE COCKPIT INSTRUMENTATION. I THEN PROCEEDED TO LOOK IN THE QRH FOR ANY PROC AND DID NOT FIND ANYTHING SPECIFIC FOR CONTAMINATED OXYGEN. WE INCREASED THE FLOWS AND RAISED THE CABIN ALT TO FORCE THE CONTAMINATED AIR OUT THE AFT OUTFLOW VALVE. I DISCUSSED WITH THE FO THE POSSIBILITY OF DIVERTING TO PVD. WE ASKED FOR A LOWER ALT AND STARTED A DSCNT TO 11000 FT. I CALLED THE FLT ATTENDANT AND ASKED HER IF THE AIR WAS IMPROVING IN THE CABIN. THE FLT ATTENDANT SAID THE AIR WAS IMPROVING SLOWLY BUT THE SYMPTOMS PERSISTED. A JUMP SEATER; WHO WAS SITTING IN THE AFT PORTION OF THE CABIN; GOT ON THE INTERPHONE AND SAID HE THOUGHT THE AIR IN THE CABIN WAS CAUSTIC AND THAT WE SHOULD LAND ASAP. I TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANT WE WERE GOING TO DECLARE AN EMER AND WE WERE GOING TO EVAC THE PAX AFTER LNDG. I TOLD HER WE WERE GOING TO PVD AND WE WOULD BE LNDG IN APPROX 5 MINS. WE DECLARED AN EMER WITH ATC AND TOLD THEM OUR SIT. FOR THE SAFETY OF THE PAX WE ASKED FOR THE EMS PERSONNEL TO BE STANDING BY WITH OXYGEN. WE LANDED AT PVD ON RWY 5. WE TAXIED THE ACFT OFF THE RWY ONTO TXWY K WHERE THE EMS TRUCKS WERE LOCATED. WE FOLLOWED THE COMPANY STANDARD EVAC PROCS AND HAD AN ORDERLY EVAC OUT THE FORWARD CABIN DOOR. I THEN FOLLOWED THE EVAC CHKLIST AND SHUT DOWN THE ACFT. AFTER EXITING WE ASKED THE PAX IF EVERYONE WAS OK; AND THEY INFORMED US THAT THEY WERE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE AIR IN THE COCKPIT WAS NOT CONTAMINATED; NO SMOKE WAS VISIBLE IN THE COCKPIT OR CABIN. THE RPTR SAID THE PRESSURIZATION AND AIR CONDITIONING SYS OPERATED NORMALLY WITH ALL NORMAL INDICATIONS. THE RPTR STATED WHEN ON THE GND THE RESCUE CREW INSERTED A PROBE INTO THE CABIN TO CHK THE AIR QUALITY AND FOUND EVERYTHING NORMAL. THE RPTR SAID MAINT CHKED THE AIR DISTRIBUTION SYS AND THE ENG BLEED SYS AND EVERYTHING CHKED OK. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 408044: THERE WERE NO INJURIES SUSTAINED. BECAUSE OF OUR CLOSE PROX TO PVD; PRECISE CREW COORD WAS CRITICAL. I BELIEVE THAT WE HANDLED THE OCCURRENCE EXPEDITIOUSLY AND PROFESSIONALLY. AT NO TIME WAS THE OUTCOME ADVERSELY AFFECTED ONCE WE PUT OUR PLANS INTO ACTION. CRM WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME.