Management reopened the Prospect Park YMCA Tuesday after a chemical contamination in the gym’s water supply led to a weeklong closure.
The gym — located at 357 Ninth St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues — closed on July 2 after employees discovered the chemical propylene glycol in the water, a result of some maintenance snafu related to the gym’s air-conditioning system, according to the YMCA website.
Propylene glycol is an additive commonly used to preserve moisture in foods, and is “generally recognized as safe” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gym reps originally said the leak was ethylene glycol — a much more toxic substance that could lead to seizures or heart damage — before issuing a late correction on July 3.
In the aftermath of the contamination, the YMCA urged anyone who was possibly affected by the contaminated water to seek help.
“If you drank the water at the Y after 6:00 p.m. on July 1 and feel unwell, please seek medical attention immediately,” read the gym’s website.
During the prolonged closure, Mayor Bill de Blaiso — who routinely travels 11 miles via motorcade from Gracie Mansion to workout at the Ninth Street YMCA — reportedly altered his morning routine and visited the Park Slope Armory YMCA, just eight blocks from the shuttered branch.
Hizzoner visited the second Park Slope gym — located at 361 15th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues — despite living closer to nine other YMCA locations
