Overview

• On June 2, five children aged five to eleven experienced sudden respiratory distress after a surge of chlorine was released from jets at the Imperium Eventi pool in Rome’s Borghesiana district.
• Four children recovered after treatment and were discharged while one remains intubated in the intensive care unit at Policlinico Umberto I.
• The Rome prosecutor’s office has opened a negligent injury investigation, seized the pool facility and initiated scientific and administrative inspections.
• Pool manager Christian Scalzo says a brief jet malfunction caused the concentrated chlorine release despite all safety checks and permits being up to date.
• The Italian Society of Environmental Medicine has warned that chlorine-related accidents at public pools are on the rise and urged stricter safety regulations.