Ammonia Spill in Prospect Park Sends 10 People to the Hospital
Remember back when New York’s air mysteriously smelled like maple syrup? Yeah. Those were good times. It’s like, fuck nostalgia for a New York where Brooklyn was affordable or whatever, just give me more maple syrup smell! Or, well, give me both maybe? Because dystopia is now, you guys. Not only are we overrun by rats, and not only is Starbucks coming to Sunset Park, and not only does it cost two grand a month to live with 18 strangers, but also, rather than smell like syrupy-goodness, the air in Brooklyn now smells like straight-bleach and sent 10 people to the hospital yesterday. Thanks, de Blasio.
Anyway: DNAinfo reports that, no, you weren’t imagining that Prospect Park smelled like cleaning supplies last night. In fact, “the pungent smell of ammonia wafted through the area around 8:30 p.m., hitting commuters and late-night joggers with what felt like ‘tear gas,'” and it was all due to “an ammonia leak” at the LeFrak skating rink, which “sent nine firefighters and one other person to the hospital for minor inhalation problems Wednesday night.”
In case you thought that the ice in skating rinks was just comprised of water, think again. DNAinfo further reports that “ammonia is typically used in a liquid form in the refrigeration systems at ice rinks, but turns into a ‘corrosive, toxic gas’ if it is released into the air.” The more you know!
Luckily, none of the injuries was serious, and the rink and park are fully operational today. So go skating if you want. Go jogging! Do it even though running is the worst. But maybe bring a little portable container of maple syrup with you to just sniff once in awhile, so you can remember more innocent times, before our air was literally toxic and the rats had taken over.