Poor Judgment by ROTC Students Blamed in Release of Fumes

The emergency that hospitalized 28 Junior ROTC cadets from the Port Hueneme Navy base Sunday night was the result of errors in judgment by a cadet cleaning crew that added bleach to a floor detergent too soon--causing sickening fumes to quickly fill a barracks bathroom, authorities said.

Despite training to avoid such an incident, the five-cadet crew applied bleach to the tile bathroom floor in its dorm before an ammonia-based detergent had dried. That prompted a chemical reaction that led to a regional response by paramedics and emergency crews, but no serious injuries.

In fact, the 28 hospitalized cadets--all high school students from outside Ventura County--were quickly treated and released from four area hospitals, authorities said. They returned to the base to continue their summer of training, officials said.

However, a chemist familiar with chemical reactions said the incident easily could have been more serious.

Household bleach combined with ammonia “is a very dangerous combination,” said Solaiman Jonata, a chemist with GenLabs in Chino. “Mixing them creates a toxic gas called hydrazine.”

Breathe a little hydrazine and you get ill; breathe enough and you could die, he said.

The incident occurred about 8 p.m. Sunday in Barracks 58 at the Construction Battalion Center, when the cadets--students from six Southern California high schools in the Air Force Junior ROTC program--were cleaning in preparation for a daily inspection, according to base spokeswoman Doris Lance.

When they combined common household cleaners--Ajax cleanser, chlorine bleach and ammonia--in the 30-by-42 foot bathroom, the mixture emitted noxious fumes, she said.

“It was a common mistake most people could make,” Lance said. “Unfortunately, because of the small area and the number of people it was worse than it should have been.”

The cadets were using products stored in their original packages with warning labels attached, Lance said.

The cadets train under eight instructors and 15 advisors, Lance said. None of the adults were present when the accident occurred. Deliberate mixing of the chemicals has been ruled out, she said.

“Each cadet is given instructions on how to clean, and what to use to do the cleaning,” Lance said. “For some reason this time it appeared that the [combination of chemicals] was strong.”

As many as 70 cadets were affected by the fumes. The most serious cases were sent to hospitals from Camarillo to Ventura. Their complaints ranged from throat irritation and shortness of breath to nausea.

The number of people exposed to the fumes quickly overwhelmed the two-engine battalion center’s fire department, and crews from the Ventura County, Oxnard and Point Mugu fire departments were called to assist.

In addition, MedTrans Ambulance sent in five ambulances. Gold Coast Ambulance Service sent five ambulances and 10 paramedics, along with a multi-casualty transport unit--sort of a hospital on wheels.

“The reason for so many resources being sent in is twofold,” County Fire Department spokesman Joe Luna said. “We were reacting to an incident where we weren’t totally certain what we were dealing with. And then there was the number of patients.”

An initial report was that five people were affected, but the number of victims grew by the half-hour.

“Whenever we have over five victims, the county treats it as a mass casualty incident,” Luna said. “We weren’t totally sure of the extent of the injuries.”

Of those affected by the fumes, 10 suffered the most severe injuries, authorities said. Apart from those hospitalized, most victims complained of minor symptoms, according to Gold Coast paramedic John Higgins.

Some of the later symptoms, Higgins said, “may have been psychological,” the incident growing due to the confines of the quarters, the age of the cadets and the number of cadets.

The Junior ROTC program will probably “take this and use it as an example,” Lance said. “Use of a product by itself is completely safe. They have to be cautious, read directions and follow advisors’ instructions.”