Fourteen members of a recreational swim team in Ohio were hospitalized after being exposed to elevated chlorine levels while training at an outdoor pool.
Members of the Minster Marlins, a recreational summer swim team based out of Auglaize County, Ohio, were training in the Minster Village Swimming Pool on Tuesday morning, but unbeknownst to them, a mechanical failure overnight caused chlorine to be pumped into the water without circulation.
Village of Minster Administrator Don Harrod told local outlet WKEF that a recirculation pump failed overnight, and while it was offline, a chlorine pump continued operating, leading to chlorine accumulating in a section of piping.
When crews got the recirculation pump up and running again, the concentrated chlorine was released into the pool, exposing approximately 20 members of the swim team who were in the water at the time, Harrod said.
According to EMS1, the Minster Police Department and Minster Area Life Squad EMS were dispatched to the pool at 8:18 a.m, where some swimmers were coughing and struggling to breathe. EMS1 reported that EMS crews were overwhelmed by the number of affected individuals and requested help from other agencies and fire departments.
Fourteen of the 20 swimmers were hospitalized, though ultimately no injuries were reported and all 14 were released.
“They got exposed to the chemicals, so it could have been very serious with the chemicals, but luckily, they took 14 students to the hospital for precautionary checks. All of those guys have been released by now,” Harrod said.
Harrod said pool staff followed safety protocols and immediately closed the facility while officials investigated the incident.
“The response that we got from everybody was great, and everybody worked together. They were able to get the people to the hospital and get checked out quickly,” Harrod said.
Harrod says the pool’s chlorine levels are checked every three to four hours due to its high usage as a public pool. He said they are looking into an alarm system to help detect similar issues in the future.
“We’re looking into why the pump went out to begin with and trying to figure that out,” Harrod said. “Then, we’re looking at a solution so it doesn’t happen again, whether it’s an alarm system that we set up or something like that.”
The pool reopened on Wednesday at 1 p.m., according to Lima News.
Glad that it seems they handled it pretty well.