1 child, 3 adults hospitalized after chemical switch

Three Bradford Woods staff members and one camper were hospitalized Thursday for being exposed to hazardous fumes after a staff member accidentally mixed muriatic acid into the pool’s filtrating system.

Officials from Bradford Woods, which serves as IU’s outdoor education facility, said the staff member thought the chemical was chlorine.

Though the mixture did not reach the pool water, the fumes sickened some of the staff and campers of Camp Riley, a summer program for youths with physical disabilities.
Everyone in the immediate area of the incident was evacuated, and seven fire departments   responded to the chemical exposure call.

The three staff members were released from Morgan County Hospital and resumed work Friday.

The camper, however, remained hospitalized at Riley Hospital for Children until Friday morning for precautionary measures.

The identities of those affected by the exposure have not been released.
Graham McKeen, an Environmental Health and Safety Specialist from the Office of Environment, Health and Safety Management, stated Friday in an IU press release that the situation is now under control.

“There was no spill,” McKeen said in the press release. “The mixture was contained but acidic. It currently is being neutralized. The tank is being cleaned, lines flushed and the material disposed of properly. The pool will be back on-line in the next few days after a standard Department of Health state lab water test.”

In the wake of the accident, officials have announced that new safeguards will be installed. These include keeping the muriatic acid and chlorine in separate locked rooms and making sure the maintenance staff receives the same pool operator certification as the pool maintenance staff, Bradford Woods Director Shay Dawson said in the press release.

— Jake New