42 women sustained light injuries in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem Friday morning and were evacuated to hospitals in the city after a disinfectant had allegedly been spilled into a pool where they were swimming. One pool employee was also injured, and his condition is also mild. One other employee was detained for questioning by police.
The Jerusalem fire department said their HazMat team detected a leak of hydrochloric acid mixed with chlorine in the pool area.
United Hatzalah reported: “Early Friday morning, United Hatzalah volunteers responded to a large-scale medical emergency that took place in a community pool in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem after those present were exposed to dangerous chemicals. 42 women sustained injuries due to exposure and breathing in the chemicals.”
Ten of the women, including two girls, were evacuated to the emergency room at Shaare Zedek Hospital, along with the pool employee. The hospital stated the patients had suffered from respiratory illness and would remain under observation for several hours.
Six other women, in their twenties to fifties, were treated in the emergency room of Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus. Three others, a 68-year-old woman and two 16-year-old girls, were evacuated to the Hadassah Ein Kerem emergency room. Hadassah stated that the patients were all in light condition and fully conscious.
United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Ariel Ben David who was one of the first responders at the scene said, “The majority of the women and young ladies who were exposed to the chemical sustained mild injuries, most of them respiratory injuries, after breathing in the chemicals. They have been transported to hospitals in Jerusalem for further care and treatment. Firefighters are active at the pool to counteract the exposure to the substance and the incident is under investigation.”
