Hazmat team, firefighters respond to chlorine leak in Unity
A Unity man who mixed chlorine in his house Thursday night needed the assistance of Westmoreland County’s hazardous materials team and local firefighters because of the fumes in his residence, a county public safety supervisor said.
The man who lives along Primrose Lane in the township’s East High Acres neighborhood was mixing chlorine for his swimming pool, the public safety supervisor said. Firefighters were alerted to the problem at 9:20 p.m.
When chlorine gas comes into contact with moist tissue such as in the eyes, throat, and lungs, an acid is produced that can damage those tissues, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
Unity firefighters from Marguerite and Lloydsville were joined by the county’s Team 800. They remained on the scene until about 11 p.m.
Additional details were not available.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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