Children taken to hospital after HAZMAT incident at pool
A number of children have been taken to hospital, including one child in a serious condition, after they were reportedly exposed to chemicals at a swimming pool near Campbelltown, south-west of Sydney.
Emergency Services were called to the Wollondilly Community Leisure Centre on Argyle Street in Picton to a HAZMAT incident about 10am on Monday.
Twelve ambulance crews were at the scene and treated two adults and nine children, an ambulance spokesman said.
A Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman said crews arrived following reports that premixed chemicals had been added to the pool and formed a gas cloud, with people complaining of respiratory problems.
An ambulance spokesman said there were reports of the wrong chemicals being mixed at the pool.
The spokesman said one child was taken to Campbelltown Hospital in a serious condition. Two other children and an adult were taken to the same hospital in a stable condition.
Another adult and a child were taken to Bowral Hospital in a stable condition, and the remaining children were treated at the pool and did not need to go to hospital, the spokesman said.
The ambulance spokesman said all the patients were suffering from respiratory problems, and some also had rashes.
The Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman said that, by the time fire crews arrived, the gas had dissipated and, by 10.15am, there was no evidence of a gas cloud or a smell.
The pool was closed while the area was ventilated, and the pool water was tested, the spokesman said.
One fire crew remained on scene, and police also attended.