A yellowish chemical cloud was released this morning around 8am from the swimming pools of Guastalla, in the province of Reggio Emilia. The private plant is located near many schools and for this reason the alarm was immediately raised. Around 150 people remained intoxicated, mostly boys. After first aid on site, some of them were taken to hospital for checks, in the facilities of Guastalla, Reggio Emilia and Montecchio. The technician who was working with the purification plant in the first morning when the accident occurred and was hit directly by the toxic cloud was also hospitalised. However, none of the injured people appear to be in danger of their lives. Indeed, according to what was reported by the mayor of Guastalla, Camilla Verona, the situation at the end of the morning “is returning, with the children starting to return to class again”. The accident comes just 48 hours after another incident with toxic vapors which occurred at the Jacarandà swimming pool in Milan, following which several dozen children were slightly intoxicated.
The hypothesis about the chemical accident and the rescue efforts
According to an initial reconstruction, it seems that the chemical cloud released from the Guastalla swimming pools originated from an accident during maintenance work on the plant’s purifiers. The technician from the chemical company in charge of the intervention would have brought sulfuric acid, a substance used to lower the pH of water, to the plant to be stored. This – this is the hypothesis currently being examined – would have come into contact with another substance, triggering the chemical reaction and releasing the sulfur cloud. However, emergency services intervened immediately, the mayor reported, also because the swimming pool is located very close to fire brigade, carabinieri, local health authority stations and an emergency room. However, the facilities are also adjacent to a sports hall, which was immediately closed, and to many schools. In particular, the Russel and Carraro high schools were immediately evacuated, where in reality many students had not even entered class yet, considering that the cloud was released around 8am, close to
of the entry time.
