San Jose Chlorine Leak Hospitalizes More Than A Dozen
SAN JOSE (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) -- A total of 15 people, mostly children, were taken to the hospital for difficulty breathing following a chlorine leak at a San Jose swimming school on Wednesday afternoon, fire officials said.
A malfunctioning pump at De Anza Cupertino Aquatics at 1080 S. De Anza Blvd. caused the leak, which was reported at 1:52 p.m.
Firefighters and a hazardous materials team cleared the aquatic center and shut down the leak, but not before some children and workers began complaining of breathing problems.
"Kids were complaining of difficulty breathing because of the chlorine leak by the pool," San Jose fire Capt. Chuck Rangel said. "Chlorine in liquid or gas form is a respiratory irritant."
A total of 15 people - children and employees at the center - were taken to a local hospital to be treated for respiratory irritation, said Steve Forman, another San Jose fire captain.
None of the respiratory problems were considered life-threatening.
Investigators were looking into what caused the leaky pump, but they allowed people to return to the aquatic center after testing around 3:15 p.m. found no more chlorine in the air.
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