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Chlorine inhalation: the big picture
1Emergency Medicine Residency of the Lehigh Valley, St. Luke's Hospital, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, USA. SEXTONS@SLHN.ORG
Journal of Toxicology. Clinical Toxicology
|April 16, 1998
Summary
Improper pool chlorination maintenance can lead to acute chlorine gas exposures. Prompt treatment with beta agonists and oxygen is crucial for affected children.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Toxicology
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Acute chlorine gas exposures can occur from community pool accidents.
- This case series details 13 children exposed to high chlorine levels due to a maintenance error.
Observation:
- Pool chlorination maintenance failure involved injecting chemicals before repriming water lines.
- This led to a large release of concentrated chlorinated water into two pools.
- The incident resulted in significant acute chlorine inhalation injuries in pediatric patients.
Findings:
- All affected children received beta agonists and humidified oxygen.
- Five children required hospitalization.
- Literature review shows varied opinions on chlorine inhalation injury treatment, including steroids and bicarbonate inhalation.
Implications:
- Failure to reprime water lines during chlorination maintenance poses a severe risk for large-scale chlorine exposures.
- Beta agonist and humidified oxygen therapy are the primary treatments for chlorine inhalation injuries.
- Evidence supporting steroid therapy and bicarbonate inhalation for chlorine exposure remains insufficient.