Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 21/05) - A chlorine leak at the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool on Tuesday afternoon had firefighters out in hazardous material suits.

A corroded valve on a 100 pound bottle of chlorine caused the leak and hindered disposal efforts, said Chucker Dewar, Yellowknife's deputy fire chief.

Yellowknife firefighters don hazardous material suits to deal with a leaking chlorine tank at Ruth Inch Memorial Pool.

The leak set off the chlorine alarms at the pool. Using self-contained breathing apparatuses, pool staff checked the leak and then called the fire department.

Chlorine can be fatal if inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Direct contact with the liquefied gas can cause burns.

The chlorine alarm at the pool can detect .03ppm of chlorine. Short exposure to 33ppm will cause chest pain, vomiting and difficult breathing. It can be fatal after a few breaths at 1,000ppm.

Pool staff and patrons weren't in any danger because the chemical is stored in a self-contained room separate from the pool, said Dewar

"It was a minor leak, but it could have worsened because of the corroded parts of the valve," said Dewar.

Firefighters wearing fully contained hazardous material suits and self-contained breathing apparatuses responded at 3:30 p.m. They took the tank to the city landfill which was sealed off from the public.

Chlorine can be vented into the atmosphere safely. The valve, however, would not release enough of the chlorine, Dewar said.

The cylinder was resealed and will be shipped to the manufacturer for disposal.

Dewar said the valve failure may have been caused by moisture getting into the chlorine which makes a corrosive substance.