Yikes. The City of Berkeley is shutting down the pool at Berkeley High School after some water polo players began reporting some strange symptoms likely connected with the chemical levels in the pool, including the disappearance of body hair.
As Berkeleyside reports, the pool had an "exponentially high" pH level of 8.5 due to a busted CO2 tank, and nothing would have been done had a couple of parents not delivered a letter to Principal Pasquale Scuderi on Tuesday. Also, chloramine levels were found to be at 1.0, where 0.1 is the acceptable limit.
In the letter, the parents expressed concern that "students on the water polo team were displaying alarming symptoms, including burning eyes, bleached hair, and, in some cases, the disappearance of body hair." The city then tested the pool on Wednesday, and decided to close it.
They're hoping to reopen the pool by Monday.
