A maintenance worker at a nursing home accidentally mixed chlorine and acid and inhaled the fumes on Thursday, and was taken to a hospital, officials said.
The man was conscious and able to talk after the incident, which happened about 9 a.m. in the pool area at Avery Heights, 705 New Britain Ave. Some residents were moved to another spot within the complex, said Patrick J. Gilland, president and chief executive officer, but no one was displaced.
"He caught a pretty good whiff" of the chemicals, Gilland said. Smoke-like fumes still rose from the 55-gallon barrel hours after the accident.
Deputy Chief David Serpliss said the call for help came in shortly before 9 a.m. The employee was outside the building working with pool chemicals when he accidentally mixed chlorine and acid, forming a cloud, Serpliss said. He was taken to Hartford Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
Firefighters remained at the scene while representatives of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection arrived to neutralize the chemicals. The barrel was outside the building — according to Avery Heights' policy — at the time of the accident, Serpliss said.
Gilland the accident happened because the facility hired a new vendor for its pool chemicals, and the new company uses a different color coding system than the previous one.
The complex has three levels of care, a skilled nursing facility, or nursing home, with round-the-clock care; an intermediate care facility; and independent living. The accident happened in the area with residents who required limited, or intermediate, care.
Courant Staff Writer Nicholas Rondinone contribute to this story.