Park Slope YMCA Closed After Chemicals Found In Drinking Water

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — The popular Prospect Park YMCA on Ninth Street closed after staff found that a chemical had entered into its water supply.

The YMCA, which Mayor Bill de Blasio famously visits a few times a week, first thought that the toxic chemical ethylene glycol had gotten into its drinking water when a vendor performed maintenance on the air conditioning system Monday night. They closed down the branch Tuesday and Wednesday and began seeking out patients who may have ingested the compound, which in severe cases can cause seizures or heart damage.

But the city's Health Department later told Patch that the YMCA discovered the chemical in its water was actually propylene glycol, a much less toxic compound.

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention describe propylene glycol as a synthetic liquid substance that absorbs water and can be used to make polyester or as an antifreeze.

The chemical is classified as "generally recognized as safe" by the Food and Drug Administration because, unlike ethylene glycol, it does not form into harmful crystals as it breaks down in the body. Propylene glycol breaks down so fast in the body that it is often difficult to detect if it was even ingested, the CDC said.

The update comes several hours after the Health Department first told Patch that the department had not received any reports of ethylene glycol toxicity linked to the YMCA and that the problem did not affect the New York City water supply system.

The YMCA's website still said ethylene glycol in its notice about the contamination as of 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Staff were telling members who drank the water at the Y after 6 p.m. on Monday and feel unwell to seek medical attention immediately.

"Our highest priority is the health and safety of those we serve," a YMCA spokesperson told Patch. "We have alerted our members and personally reached out to everyone whose records indicate they visited the Prospect Park Y in the evening on July 1.”

The YMCA will reopen once its waters have been tested and restored back to normal, according to the notice and the Health Department.

Update: The YMCA updated its website shortly after this story was posted Wednesday evening. The branch remained closed on Friday. Their updates can be found here.