Chemicals that kill germs in swimming pools also can cause injuries to people when they're handled improperly.
That's one of the lessons from a study published Thursday that notes a recent Minnesota incident in which eight people went to emergency rooms after a party at a hotel pool.
During 2012, there were nearly 5,000 emergency room visits across the country for the treatment of pool chemical injuries, researchers wrote. Of those who visited emergency rooms, almost half were younger than 18 and more than one-third of the injuries occurred at a residence.
Injuries can occur when people handle pool chemicals without using goggles or masks or when they enter the water too soon after chemicals have been added.
The research report, co-authored by an epidemiologist at the Minnesota Department of Health, described a case in December in which seven children and one adult developed rashes and symptoms of respiratory illness after a pool party in Minnesota.
Health Department investigators determined the cause was inadequate monitoring of water chemistry or inadequate response to bad water chemistry readings.
"As a result of this outbreak investigation, the hotel installed new automated controllers and liquid chlorine feeders to ensure chemical disinfectant levels were kept within regulatory limits," researchers wrote in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which is published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The Minnesota pool-chemical-associated health event highlights the need for improvements in training and pool operation," researchers wrote. "Increased awareness about these injuries and how they can be prevented is needed."
Christopher Snowbeck can be reached at 651-228-5479. Follow him at www.twitter.com/chrissnowbeck.