Pool Cleaning Becomes Pennsylvania Hazmat

Members of Westmoreland County’s hazardous materials team responded to a Ligonier Township residence on Wednesday morning after a caretaker inadvertently mixed two chemicals while cleaning an indoor swimming pool.

Dan Stevens, spokesman for the county Department of Public Safety, said the team was dispatched at 9:08 a.m. to a private residence along Route 711 South.

The caretaker mixed together chlorine and muriatic acid, or hydrochloric acid, Stevens said.

Prolonged exposure to either chemical can cause eye, throat, skin and respiratory irritation, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Stevens said the man was evaluated at the scene by first responders, but he believed the man did not require medical treatment.

The hazmat team ventilated the home and was on the scene for several hours, Stevens said.