Nearly 50 people had to be hospitalized after a "freak accident" caused chlorine gas to be released at a community pool in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Officials explained that a pump had malfunctioned and released too much chlorine into the water.
"The chlorine went into the water, and then it became in a gaseous state, and it became airborne. And so, it affected people in that area," Pleasant Grove Police Captain Britt Smith said.
As the chlorine gas began to spread through the pool, people started to suffer from nausea, coughing, vomiting, bloody noses, and a few even passed out. 26 people were transported to local area hospitals by ambulance, while around two dozen others sought treatment on their own.
One adult and 15 children were brought to Timpanogos Regional Hospital. Three of the children were admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, five were released and the other eight remain under observation.
While none of the injuries are life-threatening, some of the patients could develop chronic respiratory issues.
"The more serious patients have some wheezing and then even more serious that their oxygen numbers drop and they require oxygen, then require breathing treatments," American Fork Hospital emergency room doctor Nathan Miller told KSL. "Essentially, it would be like a severe asthma attack where they could potentially suffocate."
Officials say the pool will remain closed while they work to determine what caused the pump to malfunction.
"We do not believe this was intentional, we believe it was a failure of equipment," Smith said.
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