Toxic chemicals sicken nearly two dozen adults, children at New Jersey pool: authorities

Nearly two dozen people, mostly children, were sickened by a cloud of toxic chemicals at a pool in New Jersey, officials said Friday.

At least 23 people fell ill shortly after 9 a.m. Friday morning after breathing in the noxious vapor at the Glacier Hills Association Pool in Parsippany, police said in a statement.

Investigators believe the toxic cloud was a mixture of pool chemicals that included chlorine and muriatic acid.

Chlorine is used to kill bacteria in pools. Muriatic acid, a diluted yet still corrosive form of hydrochloric acid. It is generally used to lower the alkalinity and pH levels in pool water.

It is believed a mechanical malfunction with the pool pump caused several gallons of the accident to put pumped into the water, police said, according to CBS 2 News.

The collection of children and adults were at the pool for swimming lessons, authorities said. Four children and one adult were transported to Morristown Medical Center with respiratory distress. Eighteen others were treated at the scene.

None of the victims are considered to be suffering from life-threatening injuries.

The Morris Count HazMat team, along with police and emergency workers, responded to the scene and the pool was immediately closed.

“The surrounding community is not in danger or at risk of exposure,” police said.