Summer is now here and the temperatures have finally reached perfect heights to take a dip in the pool. But, before anyone jumps right it, specifically at a home owned pool, it is extremely crucial to be checking chemical levels and to make sure those chemicals are being used properly. On Wednesday June 26th, a combination of chemicals were accidentally mixed at a local hotel causing a toxic reaction to occur and the hotel had to be evacuated. The chemicals being mixed were near the pool area and were being prepped to clean the hotels pool. The worker that mixed the chemicals reacted fast enough to realize they had made a mistake and called 911 to get the whole building evacuated. The chemicals used in hotel pools tend to be stronger than ones used in a home owned pool but, they all are still meant to be handled with extreme care and caution.
“Whenever you’re adding a chemical, especially a dry chemical into your swimming pool whether its a chlorine or a balancer like a pH plus or a pH minus, everything should be mixed separately in a clean bucket. Not necessarily have to have ten different buckets but if you have one bucket rinse it out really good before,” says Tom Witzel, Owner of Hesselson’s.
When chemicals combine that are not supposed to make contact with each other, sometimes instant and dangerous reactions can occur.
“If there is a mistake that’s made and there are symptoms, you know an odd smell, a cloud of different color. It’s best to get out of there. You know you are not only potentially putting your own health and safety at risk but others who may try to come and rescue you may put at risk also,” says Jonathan Keough, Director of Environmental Health.
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