Homeowner injured in explosion of pool chemicals at his Oceanside home, Nassau fire officials say

A 59-year-old man suffered face and eye injuries when pool chemicals he was mixing exploded at his Oceanside home on Friday night, Nassau fire officials said.

The chemicals spread across the rear yard of the Shore Road residence, actively reacting and emitting dangerous chlorine gas, according to a Friday statement from the Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office.

The Oceanside Fire Department responded to an 8:23 p.m. 911 call about the explosion, the statement said.

The fire marshal's hazardous materials response team mitigated the released chemicals and guided the Oceanside Fire Department in treating the patient. Thirty firefighters were on scene.

The injured homeowner was transported to Nassau University Medical Center by Oceanside Fire Department ambulance.

Although pool chemicals are designed to sanitize water, each product, including pool shock as well as chlorine tablets, are different chemicals that when placed in close contact with each other can react violently, the statement said.

The statement said the Oceanside homeowner "introduced different brands of powdered pool shock into a chlorine 'feeder' that also contained chlorine tablets. The different brands of pool shock also contained different active ingredients.

"Pool shock is also designed to be directly introduced into the pool as it is a very concentrated product which requires the entire contents of the pool to offset any chemical reaction. Mixing different chemicals in a small 'feeder' that only holds 1 to 2 gallons of water and then screwing that unit closed" confined the chemical reaction, the statement said. That over-pressurized the chlorine "feeder," and it exploded.

The fire marshal's office urged pool owners to use care with chemicals. "Just because they are common chemicals found at many homes, these chemicals can still be very dangerous if not respected," the statement said.