It was a merry Christmas after all for the Guilbault family, at least as merry as they could make it.

Joe Southern, an Alabama man staying with his family in Mandeville on Dec. 5, was exposed to lethal amounts of chlorine coming from his daughter’s tap while taking a shower.

Southern was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with chemical pneumonitis, a chemical burning of the lungs, and he was hospitalized for the next seven days. Southern was released in time to spend Christmas with his family but not without any residual effects of the toxic chlorine exposure.

Southern, a healthy 66-year-old before the incident, now has to remain on oxygen until his body can sustain healthy oxygen levels.

There’s also the possibility of permanent scarring to his lungs, daughter Joanna Guilbault said, but the doctors said that’s too early to determine.

Residents of the Meadowbrook Subdivision in Mandeville, the accident occurred when a pump pumping water from deep in the ground directly behind Guilbault’s house malfunctioned and stopped pumping water.

When the malfunction occurred, the chlorine pump that distributes small doses of chlorine to a holding tank where the water is stored was supposed to stop working as well.

That never happened, causing high amounts of the toxic chemical to accumulate and form a lethal soup that showered over Southern on Dec. 5.

Water supplier H2O Systems quickly contained the situation. No other injuries were reported, and the pumps were corrected with safety features to prevent a repeat occurrence in the future.

Only time will tell if Southern’s exposure to the lethal chemical will have any lasting effects. Guilbault said the chlorine smell that permeated their house after the incident has since gone away, and their water seems back to normal again.