After the drowning incidents that are marking this summer, another serious accident brings attention to safety in bathing facilities and swimming pools. This time it was a chlorine leak that caused the poisoning of eight people, including five children, in a sports club in Mentana, just outside Rome.
The alarm was raised when several swimmers began to feel ill. Firefighters responded to the scene and detected a high concentration of chlorine in the pool area. According to initial reconstructions, which have yet to be verified, the gas leaked from the plant’s pump for reasons that are still being investigated.
The toll is eight intoxicated people and of greatest concern are the conditions of a 5-year-old child, rescued under code red and transported to the Sant’Andrea hospital in Rome. Four other children, aged between 10 and 15, and three adults were hospitalized under code yellow in various hospitals in the area.
As a precaution, around 50 people were evacuated from the sports club, which was temporarily closed. Four ambulances, three 118 medical vehicles, the carabinieri and the firefighters intervened on site, making the area safe.
Because chlorine can be dangerous
Chlorine is the most used disinfectant to keep swimming pool water free from bacteria and other microorganisms. However, if it is released in large quantities or anomalies occur in treatment plants, it can become extremely dangerous.
Inhalation of high concentrations of chlorine can cause immediate eye, nose and throat irritation, cough, difficulty breathing, nausea and, in severe cases, pulmonary edema and respiratory failure. Children, due to their physiological characteristics, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of the gas.
Meanwhile, in Mentana, the authorities are trying to clarify what caused the chlorine to leak from the swimming pool system. At the moment there are no other people involved and, according to what was reported by the rescuers, the conditions of the patients are under control, with the exception of the five-year-old child, whose condition required urgent transport to hospital.
The episode reignites attention not only on the maintenance of water treatment plants, but also on the importance of rigorous safety checks in public and private swimming pools, especially during the summer months, when attendance reaches its highest levels.
