8 Juveniles Exposed To Elevated Levels Of Chlorine From Pool At Country Club Of Darien

DARIEN, CT — Six juveniles were treated at Stamford Hospital Saturday afternoon after they were exposed to elevated levels of chlorine at the pool at the Country Club of Darien on Mansfield Avenue, according to the Darien Police Department.

A total of eight juveniles were exposed to elevated levels of chlorine, but not all of them required hospitalization. Detective James Palmieri, the department's spokesperson, issued the following statement about the incident:

On July 22nd at approximately 2:50pm, the Darien Police Department received a report of a possible chlorine exposure at the Country Club of Darien located at 300 Mansfield Avenue. Post 53 and the Darien Fire Department also responded to this location. Upon officer arrival, a small group of youths complaining of symptoms consistent with chlorine exposure were quarantined on premises and evaluated by emergency medical services. Seven juveniles ranging in age from eight (8) years old to (16) years old were evaluated on site. Five juveniles were subsequently transported to Stamford Hospital as a precautionary measure. All of the affected youths were conscious and alert. At approximately 3:05pm, the Darien Police Department received a complaint of a juvenile female with difficulty breathing at a residence in Darien. It was determined that this female had also been at the Country Club of Darien at the time of the incident. The female resident was evaluated by Post 53 and transported to Stamford Hospital as a precautionary measure. All police, fire, and EMS units have cleared the Country Club of Darien which remains open to its members and guests.

A power outage at the facility caused the excessive amount of the chemical to wash into the pool, according to authorities. WTNH-TV reported the outage was caused by an unknown explosion.

Darien firefighters and EMS personnel were called to the country club Saturday afternoon for a "hazardous material incident," which turned out to be the excessive amounts of chlorine, according to the below posts on the fire department's Twitter page.

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