Chemical leaks close several pools
Several commercial pool facilities were temporarily closed this spring after chemical leaks created hazardous chemical exposure conditions.
On May 27, a 41-year-old woman and a 6-year-old girl were taken to a hospital after they were exposed to toxic gas at the Francis Scott Key Family Resort pool in West Ocean City, Maryland. The woman and girl complained of severe difficulty breathing and were flown to Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore.
According to the fire marshal’s office, investigations revealed that during routine maintenance, muriatic acid and chlorine were both accidentally released, forming chlorine gas that was sent into the indoor pool where they were swimming. The victims’ current conditions were not reported.
In Bloomington, Minnesota, on May 24, an occupied hotel was evacuated following a chemical spill in the pool area. Two hotel employees were evaluated by medics as Hazmat teams contained the spill, stopped the off-gassing chemicals, and vented the building. No injuries were reported.
On May 16, the Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Fire Department was dispatched to the Blue Harbor Resort pool for a Hazardous Materials leak. An employee of the resort said when he opened the door to the pool filtration room he was overcome with fumes and shut the door.
According to the Sheboygan Fire Department, a hazmat team entered the filtration room in fully encapsulated suits and found that hoses disconnected from the filtration system had caused chemicals to mix together on the ground, causing fumes. They said a small amount of chemicals were released from the injection system.
The hazmat team turned off the pumpsandvalvesforthechemicals,and the fire department washed down the area and diluted chemicals with water.
No other problems were found, and no injuries were reported.
Finally, in early April, a Highlands Ranch, Colorado, swim school was closed after an employee discovered a chemical leak in the mechanical room. The incident occurred at the Waterworks Aquatics Highlands Ranch, in suburban Denver. Responding Hazmat teams found two female employees wearing respirators and protective gear at the scene. Both were checked out for chemical exposure and found to be fine.
While the building was evacuated, crews discovered that a pump had failed and leaked muriatic acid overnight. The acid leaked onto the floor of the mechanical room and underneath a door to the sidewalk outside. No other parts of the facility were affected. It took Hazmat crews more than two hours to neutralize the 20 gallons of acid that had spilled. No injuries were reported.
CDC’s Pool Chemical Safety
