KEY POINTS:
An investigation into a chlorine leak at a swimming pool, which led to five children being taken to hospital last night, could take weeks.
A Labour Department spokesman said investigators will be at the centre today to find out what caused the leak and it's likely they will
be conducting interviews.
He said the investigation would be lengthy.
Newstalk ZB reported that it was believed the chorine filtration system was accidentally turned on while people were still in the pool.
Rodney District Council spokesman Michael Briggs said today that leisure centre staff had oxygen on hand and treated some of the children themselves.
"The centre is open for business this morning. Our hearts go out to the five people who were hospitalised," he said.
The five children were taken to hospital last night with suspected chlorine poisoning after swimming at the leisure centre.
Two of the children were transferred to Starship Hospital in Auckland City for observation, and were released today.
The children were at the centre when they became unwell about 6.30pm.
The district council has also started an investigation into the incident.
A St John Ambulance advanced paramedic told the Herald at the scene he had treated five children who were taken to North Shore Hospital.
They were suffering shortness of breath, dizziness and nausea.
About 20 firefighters, including a hazardous-materials unit from Auckland city, were called to the venue.
They used high pressure ventilation fans to expel the chlorine-filled air.
The North Shore's acting deputy chief fire officer, Mike McEnaney, said the chemical had either leaked, or too much had been released.
He believed chlorine was usually released in gas form into the pool's filtration system to cleanse the water.
"It appears that they probably released some chlorine into the pool as part of the operations of cleansing it and it just might have been a little bit more than what was necessary," he said. "The fumes have affected the people who were in the pool."
The entire centre had been evacuated as a precaution, the district council said.
Chlorine is one of the most commonly used industrial chemicals and its uses range from acting as a bleaching agent to killing bacteria in water.
Symptoms of exposure include shortness of breath, nose and throat irritation, watery eyes, coughing, bloody nose, vomiting, nausea, chest pain and light-headedness.
In 2002 chlorine gas was released at the Waitakere West Wave Aquatic centre and 36 people were hospitalised. The centre was closed down between November 23 and and January 15, 2003.
- with Newstalk ZB
