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Marriott Hotel's Pool Chlorine Sickens Five People, Officials Say

By Dan Rivoli | August 29, 2012 9:56am | Updated on August 29, 2012 10:55am
Five people  were overcome by chlorine fumes at a Marriott Hotel on the Upper East Side Aug. 29, 2012.
Five people were overcome by chlorine fumes at a Marriott Hotel on the Upper East Side Aug. 29, 2012.
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DNAinfo/Nikhita Venugopal

UPPER EAST SIDE — A lifeguard who was mixing chemicals at an Upper East Side hotel pool accidentally unleashed potent chlorine fumes that forced a partial evacuation of the building and injured five Wednesday.

Four people were taken to New York Hospital and a firefighter was rushed to Lenox Hill Hospital with chlorine inhalation after the 8 a.m. incident at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, at 410 E. 92nd St.

All were in stable condition after the release, which forced hotel staff to clear the lobby and lower level, according to Bill Pierce, the hotel's director of sales.

FDNY Deputy Chief Dan Donoghue said the fumes came from the basement where a lifeguard was mixing chemicals.

"The chemicals were stronger than the lifeguard thought," Donoghue said. "There was a reaction and basically we have a heavy odor of chlorine."

One of the victims was the lifeguard, according to the FDNY official.

A Marriott Hotel employee who answered the main line declined to comment.

It is unclear if the rest of the victims were guests or employees.