The Portage County Emergency Management Agency and Kent Fire Department responded to a chemical emergency at the city of Akron Water Plant in Franklin Township Wednesday. A shelter-in-place order was issued for individuals and businesses within a half a mile of the plant.
Three people at the plant were taken to the hospital after “a delivery of the chemical alum was mistakenly added to two tanks of sodium hypochlorite commonly known as bleach. The mixture created a chemical reaction which resulted in the production of chlorine gas,” according to Akron officials.
The Portage County EMA lifted the shelter-in-place order late Wednesday evening, but recommended anyone experiencing respiratory symptoms or smelling a bleach smell seek medical attention. Authorities said that the incident was isolated to the two chemical tanks and that there is no contamination to drinking water, Fox 8 reports. The three individuals were released from the hospital, Akron officials told the Beacon Journal. (Paywall.)