Fumes sicken two employees at city's water treatment plant

COLUMBIANA -- Two employees of the city's water treatment plant on Metz Road were treated at a local hospital after one worker mixed chlorine and flouride together, releasing fumes into the plant.
The workers were treated Thursday at Salem Community Hospital, said City Finance Director Mary Louise Dicken. City officials did not release the names of the workers.
Dicken said Ohio Environmental Protection Agency officials have declared the plant safe for operation.
She said flouride and chlorine are both used in water treatment procedures, but are not usually mixed together. She said the workers turned off pumps before leaving the building. Dicken emphasized the city water is safe to drink and there was never a threat to the water supply.
Columbiana Fire Department and a hazardous materials team from Mahoning County dispersed the fumes from the building, she said.