A chlorine gas leak at a five-star hotel in Jungmun-dong, Seogwipo, on Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, sent 59 guests and employees to hospitals after staff mixed pool disinfectant improperly. None of the cases were life-threatening.
The Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters received a report at about 10:40 a.m. on the 1st that a disinfectant smell was spreading through every floor of the hotel. The hotel evacuated more than 60 guests and employees. Of those, 59 were taken to hospitals after complaining of vomiting and dizziness. Ambulances from the fire headquarters and the health center at the Jeju naval base responded to the scene.
Fire officials believe a hotel employee mixed pool disinfectant in the wrong proportions in the machine room, generating a large volume of chlorine gas. Authorities measured the chlorine concentration at 50 parts per million at about 1:17 p.m., 50 times the permissible level of 1 ppm. By about 1:57 p.m., the reading had fallen to 2 ppm.
Chlorine gas is heavier than air and tends to pool in low-lying areas. According to U.S. industrial safety data, lung damage can occur at concentrations of 40 to 60 ppm, and even lower levels can irritate the eyes, nose and throat. Police are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident and whether there was negligence in handling the chemicals.
