[neact] More school- and chem-related incidents

From: Stephen Stepenuck <sstepenuck@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "neact@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <neact@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 04 May 2012 12:25:26 -0400
In today¹s news from the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety there
were a couple of other school-related incidents in addition to these:

---------------------------------------------

CHEMISTRY EXPERIMENT GOES UP IN SMOKE IN MIDWEST
http://kowb1290.com/chemistry-experiment-goes-up-in-smoke-in-midwest/
Tags: us_WY, laboratory, fire, injury, unknown_chemical

Natrona County Fire crews responded to a science experiment gone wrong this
morning at Midwest High School. A small fire from a chemical reaction caused
the incident that investigators describe as accidental. One student was
treated and released with a chemical burn.

Natrona County Fire Investigator Dave Baker, says they got the call around
9am

³There was smoke in the hallway and in one of the class rooms. Upon interior
examination they found an area in the chemistry lab where there as a small
fire, but the fire had actually burned itself out.²

Baker says there was no structure damage and the fire was isolated to a
counter top. He declined to release any more details about the chemicals
involved until the investigation is complete, but he did say it was an
experiment they¹d done many times before without incident.

No explosion or chemical release accompanied the fire.

The incident occurred just after 9am.  First responders isolated the area
and classes were sent home for the day.

---------------------------------------------

2 ARRESTED AFTER 2 BOTTLES EXPLODE AT HIGH SCHOOL
http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/national/prank-explosion-clears-memphis-hig
h-school/article_50564627-96a6-5493-b565-0adb0dc6f8cd.html
Tags: us_TN, education, explosion, response, bomb, illegal

Police say two students have been taken into custody after two
chemical-filled bottles exploded at a Memphis high school.
Memphis police said in a news release Thursday night that two 18-year-old
students of Craigmont High School were charged with aggravated assault,
felony reckless endangerment and possession of a prohibited weapon.
The high school was evacuated just before noon in what school authorities
called a prank explosion. Officials say an assistant principal with asthma
went to the hospital after inhaling smoke produced by the mixture. Police
said a bomb threat had been called in to the school beforehand.
Shortly after, another bottle exploded about 15 miles away outside a Kroger
grocery store. Kroger spokesman Joe Bell says a customer accidentally left
behind a bottle with dry ice. No one was injured.

---------------------------------------------

TEACHER HURT IN SCIENCE LAB EXPLOSION
http://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/lancaster-and-district-news/teacher-
hurt-in-science-lab-explosion-1-4515215#
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, explosion, injury, other_chemical

A SCIENCE teacher suffered burns after a chemical exploded during a
demonstration to pupils at Garstang Community Academy.

The teacher was conducting a experiment in a science laboratory using silver
nitrate when the chemical flared up, leaving her with burns to her face and
hands.

Paramedics were called to the scene at 10.52am yesterday and were joined by
10 firefighters from Garstang and Lancaster and police.

The 49-year-old woman was taken to the Royal Preston Hospital. No pupils
were hurt.

There was no fire for crews to extinguish, but there was damage to a desk
and a wall.

---------------------------------------------

Thoughts, or possible lessons, in order of the  cases:
1. Just because we have done this activity many times without incident does
not mean that the risk is zero.
2. Students: If you do not behave responsibly, you will [or might] be held
responsible... 
3. When was the last time you considered silver nitrate to be a fire or
reactivity hazard?



-- 
Stephen J. Stepenuck, Ph.D.
Professor of chemistry emeritus
Keene State College
Keene NH 03435-2001
sstepenuck@xxxxxxxxx
603.352.7540
[neact] More school- and chem-related incidents

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