Ten workers at the Ben Atchley Veteran's Nursing Home in West Knox County were sent to the hospital after a mix-up with cleaning solution.
As of Thursday afternoon, all but one of the people has been released from the hospital. The remaining staff member is being kept for observation.
According to Karns Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ken Marston, cleaning staff members were working in the laundry room area of the nursing home around 10:00 a.m. Thursday morning. They were mixing cleaning solutions, and accidentally combined two that released a chlorine gas.
Employees managed to isolate the laundry room area from the rest of the facility by closing doors and shutting of the air conditioning. No residents were evacuated, but there were sheltered in place until firefighters cleared the building.
No residents or medical staff were affected, but nine members of the cleaning staff were taken to the hospital to be evaluated.
A hazardous materials team was called in to safely remove and dispose of the substance.
The chemical scare happened as a team of volunteers worked to renovate the veterans home.
Associates from local Home Depot stores teamed up to transform the outside of the building. They worked on landscaping, creating planter benches, and installed ceiling fans in the gazebos.
The Home Depot volunteers say they just wanted to improve the lives of the East Tennessee military veterans.
"Well the veterans have given so much to us and it's important to Home Depot that we want to be involved and give something back to them because they've given so much to us," said Joshua Rule.
The volunteer effort is part of a nationwide initiative called "Celebration of Service."
Through the program, Home Depot employees across the country are completing hundreds of service projects to give back to those who served our nation.