EAST LANSING, MI -- According to MLive.com media partner WLNS-TV, the Parkwood YMCA was evacuated just before 10 a.m. Friday, April 19, due to a chlorine leak.
Hazmat crews are at the YMCA, located at 2306 Haslett Rd. in East Lansing, WLNS reports.
The crews were preparing to head into the building and find the source of the problem, which was believed to be in the system that automatically pumps chlorine into the swimming pool.
WLNS reports that several people have been taken to hospitals, but there was no word on their condition.
Also unclear: how much chlorine was spilled and whether the leak had stopped or was ongoing.
Multiple phone calls to the YMCA were not answered.
According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, or OSHA, acute exposure to low levels of chlorine results in eye, nose and throat irritation; sneezing; excessive salivation; general excitement; and restlessness.
In higher concentrations, exposure causes difficulty breathing; violent coughing; nausea; vomiting; cyanosis; dizziness; headache; choking; laryngeal edema; acute tracheobronchitis; and chemical pneumonia.
Contact with the liquid can cause frostbite burns of the skin and eyes.