A community swimming pool in New Jersey has reopened after a number of kids were sickened over the weekend due to a toxic amount of chlorine being released into the air.
Parents who were at the pool in Maplewood wrote on the Facebook Saturday night and Sunday morning that their children had to be taken to the emergency room. Symptoms included vomiting, burning eyes and/or throats, and lethargy. Others were coughing and some suffered respiratory issues.
"My oldest was coughing and breathing quickly and had gone pale and my youngest was vomiting, completely pale, breathing very quickly, very lethargic," parent Charlene Burris said on Facebook, according to the local ABC affiliate.
The township of Maplewood released the following statement about the incident:
As previously communicated, a malfunction occurred yesterday afternoon at the pool resulting in a sediment release. This malfunction was within the filtration system and it is being monitored on a regular basis.
As a result some experienced a sudden smell of chlorine as the filter was restarted. We deeply apologize that this malfunction occurred and we are working with a third-party vendor, CFM, on testing and a retrospective evaluation regarding yesterday's malfunction.
In addition, our health officer has contacted the families impacted by the malfunction and we will work with them."
After bringing in a third party to test and monitor the system, the township released another statement saying the problem has been corrected and the pool was ready to reopen on Thursday.
"We're doing what we need to do from a professional standpoint to monitor all the filtration system mechanisms to make sure it's safe and we're confident that it's safe," said Maplewood town administrator Jerry Giaimis.
