DCHAS-L Archives, May 28 2015 - Re: [DCHAS-L] Science class chemical sends two students to hospital

You know, this actually makes me concerned when it happens at the middle school level, my niece is 12, and she has a scientific curiosity. It only makes me concerned if something like this will happen to her and snuff out that ember starting to grow inside her that could blossom into something beautiful. Even if it was at the high school level we would know that it was deliberate there is no plausible deniability there then. Since the age of innocence is gone and 14-18 year olds know, or at least should understand that foreign chemicals shouldn't be ingested for any reasons. However at this age it is hard to guage, they've never been exposed to this world yet therefore, during my generation we had "Mr. Yuck" stickers plastered on every household chemical instructing us never to drink them, they were discontinued for some reason. But that visual aide stuck with me. When I was young, I saw that sticker and it reminded me to never put anything in my mouth even when I was a toddler and knew nothing of chemistry. And when it came time to enter into the world of science, I knew then that every foreign chemical, even if it looked pretty, should be treated with respect. All because of that sticker. Strange how a visual aide led to that much respect. However, this generation doesn't have these visual aide anymore, they have nothing to tell them that chemicals are dangerous, expect news stories of gloom and doom of chemical spills and animal life dying because of an outbreak of chemical X. But that doesn't really explain to them that every chemical, even water in extremely large quantities ingested at one time, can be fatal. Therefore it makes me ponder if our society over the years has failed to do our own jobs for chemical safety. Not because we don't care, but because of the LITTLE things we USE to do that enforced chemical safety are there. I go back to my original "Mr. Yuck" comment. Where are they? Something so insignificant and so simple, preludes a parent into a conversation with their children about chemical safety at a young age. It could have, just maybe, avoided this catastrophe and parent's worst nightmare. That's all I have to say about the subject. I'm done ranting, I do apologize.

On Thu, May 28, 2015 at 6:44 AM, Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org> wrote:

Fires aren't the only things happening with chemicals in high schools-

- Ralph

http://krqe.com/2015/05/27/science-class-chemical-sends-two-students-to-hospital/

BERNALILLO, N.M. (KRQE) - A middle school science teacher is on paid leave and two students have been suspended for something that sent two kids to the hospital according to Bernalillo Public Schools Superintendent Allan Tapia.

Bernalillo Middle School students were one day away from celebrating the end of the school year.

Sixth grader Ricquie Tarango, 11, said two boys offered her and another girl candy during class time on Tuesday.

"They put me three drops right here," Ricquie said pointing to her hand.

She said she and her friend licked it off their hands.

"It felt like my tongue was going to fall off, and it just felt horrible," Ricquie said. "I didn't know what to do. I was scared."

The liquid came from an unlabeled bottle.

She said one of the boys told her it was acid, then said he was just joking.

"Where it was on my hand, it was really yellow," Ricquie said. "That is when I started getting scared, and I got a major headache after that."

The school called Poison Control and an ambulance took both girls to the hospital.

Ricquie said the chemical turned out to be copper chloride.

"A [science] teacher from Bernalillo Mid School had asked a couple of boys, ages 12 and 13, to discard some containers, some boxes," said Bernalillo Police Chief Tom Romero. "Apparently in the process, our understanding is, the two boys took some chemicals from these containers and kept them."

"I don't understand how that teacher could give little students that poison or whatever for them to dispose of it," said Oralia Montoya, Ricquie=E2=80™s grandma.

Montoya rushed to the hospital on Tuesday after hearing about the incident.

"Angry, that's where I was. Angry, very angry about things happening here at the school," Montoya said.

Bernalillo Police and the school are investigating.

"I don't know if this was a prank or what the intent was, but like the parent, I am disappointed in the entire matter," Superintendent Tapia said.

He said the boys deny offering the chemical to the girls.

"I thought those boys were my friends," Ricquie said. "I didn't know they would actually do that to me."

Ricquie got out of the hospital on Wednesday. She and her friend are expected to be okay.

Bernalillo Police are forwarding the case to the District Attorney's office.

"The District Attorney's office will review it and make a determination if there's any actual criminal intent involved," Chief Romero said.

Reports of a similar case came out just last week in Rio Rancho.

Two Eagle Ridge Middle Schoolers are accused of pouring a substance into other students' drinks in a chemistry class.

Those students may face criminal charges.

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