Fire departments are dealing with an increased number of calls caused by issues with pool chemicals. There have been responses to both privately owned and public pools. While it is important to maintain pool water at proper levels, it is equally important that pool owners and mangers understand the chemicals that they are using. It is not my intent to make you hazardous materials specialists, but to prevent a hazardous environment. I will attempt to approach this from two directions: the cause and effect of problems associated with pool chemicals and the actions that you must take when a problem arises.
When you purchase pool chemicals, it is important that you read the label, familiarizing yourself with the instructions for use and the dangers associated with that particular chemical. Most chemicals remain stable as long as two things do not occur: they do not get wet and they do not mix with other chemicals.
You may say that the chemical has to get wet to work. You are right, but the chemical must get added to the water in the proper proportion and not the other way around. In other words, a problem occurs when the chemical, in bulk, gets wet. Water activates many of these chemicals and once that occurs, a chemical reaction known as off gassing takes place. One of the gases that are let off, once they get wet, is chlorine gas. Chlorine gas is a poisonous gas that attacks the respiratory system and can cause death. Remember this, keeping chemicals dry is the best way to keep them stable. Another problem that occurs is a phenomenon known as synergism. Simply put, synergism is what happens when chemicals mix with one another. A chemical may be fine by itself, but if mixed with another chemical, it may have a dangerous synergistic or combined effect. The catalyst is usually water, but could even be a petroleum-based product like oil or gasoline. The key to no issue is the proper storage of all chemicals. One other note is that if you operate a public pool, then you are required to have Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) available for employees and first responders.
Once a reaction has occurred and has been identified, you must evacuate the area. At the same time, someone needs to call 911. Without the proper protection and training, it is not your job to handle a chemical issue. Hazardous Material teams are trained to identify and properly deal with the problem at hand. The quicker they arrive, the quicker that they can deal with the problem. One of the problems associated with chemicals are the people that are exposed to or contaminated by the chemicals. Depending on the state of the chemical – solid, liquid, or gas – will determine what exposure and contamination means. I wrote earlier about chlorine gas. In the case of a gas, exposure and contamination can occur at the same moment, with a potential for death to occur. On the other hand, the length of exposure may affect the amount of contamination. Bottom line, when you know that a chemical reaction is taking place, evacuate the area, isolate contaminated victims and call 911. Contaminated victims can cause an extension of the hot zone, which is the area where the chemical levels are high enough to cause injury or death. Chemical reactions become complicated and require experts, in most cases, to bring them under control. I will end this article with something that I said earlier; read the labels on all pool chemicals and store all chemicals in a way that will keep them dry.
