Guastalla (Reggio Emilia), 9 May 2024 – So much fear this morning at the Guastalla swimming pools in via Sacco and Vanzetti. Following a accident during maintenance work purifiers of the structure, which occurred around 8 a.m chlorine cloud it rose into the sky and then spread to nearby environments, including the schools (the Russell and Carrara high schools), the Cir canteen and the bar where many people (including several students) were having breakfast. So many of them have started to show cough symptoms and watery eyes.
Once the alarm was raised, all available rescuers from all over the province rushed to the scene. It has been operated oxygen therapy on site, while many of the intoxicated people were transported to the nearby hospitals of Guastalla, Montecchio and Reggio Emilia. The Local Health Authority announced that there were “104 people poisoned due to a toxic cloud, probably chlorine gas”. It’s about mildly intoxicatedonly one girl showed symptoms most important. The schools were evacuate, then in the morning the firefighters gave the OK for the reopening of school buildings.
Cloud of sulfur at the Guastalla swimming pool, around a hundred people poisoned and schools evacuated
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13:58
Arpae’s analyses: “Return to normality”
“The Arpae technicians also checked the emergency room in the nearby hospital area which did not show any odorous traces attributable to chlorine and, therefore, no measurements were carried out – concludes the Arpae note -. Subsequent instantaneous measurements in the square showed the return to a condition of normality, with levels below the detection limits of the method. Further measures are underway which will be carried out again both in the vicinity of the school complex and in the hospital area and in the surrounding residential areas”. Finally, the collection of product samples contained in the tanks which will be analyzed in the Arpae laboratory in Reggio Emilia is planned. “.
13:55
“Accident caused by incorrect mixing during decanting of sulfuric acid”
“From the first investigations conducted by the firefighters – continues the Arpae statement -, the cause of the accident may have been incorrect mixing during operations racking of the supplier sulfuric acid inside the collection tanks in the centre’s storage room. In fact, it is specified that chlorine gas is formed when sulfuric acid inadvertently mixes with a hypochlorite solutionswimming pool water disinfectant”.
The technicians and firefighters on site for the analysis of intoxication at the Guastalla swimming pools
13:49
Arpae: “Chlorine gases are in high concentrations”
“The operators Arpae – the technicians write in the first bulletin issued – they provided the firefighters with the vials for instant determination of chlorine in ambient air. The presence of chlorine gas in high concentrations, out of scale”.
13:47
Arpae: “Toxic cloud of probable chlorine gas”
The toxic cloud that released this morning from the sports center The Pools of Guastalla (Reggio Emilia) was “probable chlorine gas”. This is what emerges from the first update bulletin from Arpae, alerted to the incident by the operations center of the Reggio Emilia fire brigade. When the Agency technicians arrived there was no longer any cloud because it had dispersed into the open air.
13:35
The Local Health Authority: “89 in hospital but not hospitalized”
Again the ASL: “The symptoms reported, mostly mild, were burning eyes and watery eyes, sore throat, cough, difficulty breathing, only more pronounced for some. An advanced medical post, a first aid point, was set up on site around 8am, with doctors and nursesfrom which all the boys and those who have passed they didn’t feel well. Mainly these were the students of the two high schools next to the swimming pools, Russel e Carrara. Treated on site, from here 65 were sent to the emergency room of Guastalla (of these only four in code orange), another 13 to the emergency room of Montecchio and 11 to that of Reggio Emilia. They are not hospitalized, but several are currently under observation in emergency rooms. For 15 children the parents preferred to take them home. The Local Health Authority also intervened with a medical car from Novellara, two medical cars from Guastalla and Poviglio”.
13:03
The Local Health Authority: “104 poisoned by chlorine fumes”
The balance of the propagation of the chemical cloud that was released this morning from the pools of Guastalla (Reggio Emilia) is 104 intoxicatedmostly boys between 14 and 19 yearsmore a teacher and some operators of a canteen. It is the balance sheet provided by the Reggio Emilia Local Health Authority which explains that the intoxicated people were treated for “chlorine fumes“. They are not currently hospitalized, but many have been sent to the emergency rooms of Guastalla, Montecchio and Reggio Emilia. Here is the press release: “104 people intoxicated (mostly with mild symptoms) and treated by health workers due to a toxic cloud , probably chlorine gas, formed near the ‘Le Piscine’ sports center near the school complex where the Russell and Carrara schools are located. The episode occurred just before 8 this morning, the emergency in the area has now been resolved.”
12:57
The prosecutor’s inspection in Guastalla
To the facilities of the Sports Center Swimming Pools of Guastalla an inspection is underway Public minister of Reggio Emilia, Dario Chiari. From here this morning, just before 8am, a cloud rose during storage operations of substances for the purification of the tanks which caused poisoning over one hundred people, especially kids from nearby high schools. The dynamics are still to be clarified.
11:32
Arpae checks on air quality
The technicians of the Regional Agency for the Environment of Emilia-Romagna (Arpae) are at work, together with colleagues from the Local Health Authority and the firefighters, in Guastalla to monitor air quality levels. The area involves schools in the immediate vicinity (Russell High School), the hospital, private homes, other sports facilities.
Specialized firefighters intervened after the toxic cloud in Guastalla
10:16
Chemical cloud, one hypothesis is an accident during maintenance
The chemical cloudyellowish, released from the Guastalla pools this morning, it would have originated from a accident during maintenance work on the plant purifiers. According to what we learned, an employee of a chemical company brought sulfuric acid. However – this is one of the hypotheses formulated so far – the acid would have come into contact with another substance, triggering it the chemical reaction and the yellowish cloud. Cloud that hit the technician at work, who is among those intoxicated and his life is not in danger.
The firefighters at work at the Guastalla swimming pools
10:04
The expert explains the effects of exposure to sulfur: “Irritation to the respiratory tract”
Francesco Saverio Violante (Sant’Orsola doctor and specialized in occupational medicine) explained the effects of the accident that occurred at the Guastalla swimming pools: “Those present inhaled vapors from sulfuric acid highly irritating. Symptoms can cause eye irritation e to the respiratory tract. They are not in danger of life: the exposure was limited only to today so the effects may wear off on what day. It all depends on how long they were exposed to the cloud. Those most affected may be workers given their immediate proximity to the substance, but the risk does not vary from child to adult.”
09:53
About a hundred people were rescued, about eighty in hospital
In total they were rescued a hundred people. About forty patients ended up in Guastalla hospital, about twenty in Montecchio and another twenty in Reggio Emilia. They are all mildly intoxicated, except for one girl who showed more serious symptoms.
Carabinieri intervention in Guastalla
09:52
Ok to the reopening of schools
At 11.15 the firefighters gave the OK for the reopening of schools.
09:51
Sulfuric acid serves to purify water
Sulfuric acid is an acid that is used in swimming pools at the beginning of the season and is useful to purify water. The substance is monitored from time to time via computerized software.
09:46
The pouring of sulfuric acid caused a sulfur cloud
Subsequent checks made it possible to ascertain that the transferred substance is sulfuric acid which caused a sulfur cloud.
09:29
The nucleus specialized in the management of toxic clouds is arriving
And Bologna The Nbcr unit of the Fire Brigade is arriving, specialized in management of toxic clouds for decontamination.
08:51
140 people were rescued, dozens of intoxicated people
140 people were rescued (many of them were intoxicated, but not all), with around forty people treated in hospitals. The firefighters are now checking the gas concentrations in the school to decide whether to reopen it or not.
08:41
Cough and watery eyes
In many of the people who were poisoned they began to show symptoms of cough and watery eyesthe cloud then moved inside the school
08:32
Many students present in the bar adjacent to the swimming pool
In the adjacent Cir bar and canteen, crowded at that time for breakfast, there were many people including many students from the school
Many students were present near the swimming pool
08:17
A similar episode in Milan with 42 intoxicated people
And similar episode to that of the swimming pool Guastalla it happened to Milano a few days ago, when 42 people were poisoned, including 28 children. Another episode also in Verona more than a year ago.
08:05
Intoxicated people rescued and schools evacuated
The medics rescued the intoxicated people with oxygen therapy on site and the schools were evacuated
Firefighters were also on site
08:02
Chlorine cloud near schools, around a hundred intoxicated
This morning at 8 am a cloud of chlorine rose near the swimming pools of the schools in Guastalla. There are around a hundred poisoned people, including students, none of whom are serious