Chlorine Gas Exposure: Clinical Course, Outcomes, and Lessons Learned Following a Mass-Exposure Incident in Oman.

OBJECTIVES

To characterize the clinical manifestations of acute chlorine gas exposure and evaluate recovery outcomes at 48 hours and 14 days post-exposure.

METHODS

Retrospective observational case series of 31 patients exposed to chlorine gas during a mass incident in Sohar, Oman. Information regarding clinical presentation, treatment outcomes, and post-treatment complications was collected using a structured data collection tool to ensure consistency and accuracy during data extraction. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS v31.

RESULTS

Thirty-one patients presented to the study site and were included in the analysis. All were male with a mean age of 32.3 ± 9.4 years. At presentation, 90.3% of patients were symptomatic, with respiratory manifestations being the most reported symptoms. Eight patients (25.8%) required admission, including 3 admitted to the intensive care unit. At 48-hour follow-up, 18 (58.1%) remained symptomatic. Nine of 29 patients who attended follow-up on day 14 reported persistent symptoms, most commonly cough. No fatalities occurred.

CONCLUSION

This study reports on the clinical course of acute chlorine exposure, highlighting that recovery often exceeds 2 weeks. Findings underscore the need for standardized clinical management, public awareness, and more rigorous industrial safety oversight to mitigate future chemical surge impacts.