30 Guests Sent to Houston Area Hospitals After Chemical Leak at Six Flags Splashtown

Families expecting a fun day at Six Flags Hurrican Harbor Splashtown over the weekend ended up in the middle of a large emergency response effort after a chemical leak inside the park.

Many of us have been stuck atop a ride at one time or another, but the usual oddities that take place at a theme park will usually just leave you with some good stories to tell. In this case, some guests ended up needing to be transported to area hospitals.

Get our free mobile app

Chemical Leak Causes Burning Sensations, Breathing Problems

KHOU.com reports that 30 guests at the park needed to be transported to area hospitals following the chemical leak. More than 55 guests were treated on-site after being exposed to sulfuric acid and hypochlorite solution (bleach water) which caused burning sensations, dizziness, and breathing difficulties. Some guests exposed to the chemicals reported a burning sensation on their skin.

The water park was evacuated following the chemical leak and remained closed on Sunday.

How did the Chemical Spill Happen?

The mixture of sulfuric acid and hypochlorite solution is typically used to clean the parks outside of hours of operation. These chemicals are released by an automated system according to KHOU and can cause the types of reactions reported on Saturday when they are mixed incorrectly.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo commented on the emergency response saying, "If you can have 60 plus people get sick and your system doesn’t catch what’s off with the chemicals or whatever, then clearly something is wrong with the system."

Guests Treated at Area Hospitals Have Been Sent Home

By Sunday morning, the patients at Texas Medical Center and at Woodlands Medical were all released in good condition.