Food Tainted with Chemical Sickens Employees

By: Katherine Perry
95.9 WATD, Marshfield Broadcasting Company

Two Bridgewater State University employees were taken to the hospital after they were sickened by an unknown chemical Thursday.

At 11:41 a.m. the Bridgewater fire department was called to Bridgewater State University and began a tier 1 haz-mat response-- the least serious response level.

Two food service employees were working near a dishwasher and food disposal area in a kitchen in the east campus commons, when they became ill.

Student Causes Chemical Spill During Science Lab

WISTV.com
Dec 08, 2010

WISTV.com

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – Columbia firefighters are on the scene of chemical spill at the University of South Carolina's Graduate Science Research Center on Sumter Street.

Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins said a student in one of the labs knocked over and broke a container of a chemical called Tetrahydfuran that was being using for an experiment. Jenkins said Tetrahydfuran can be flammable and cause respiratory problems, and is known to evaporate quickly once exposed to air.

Cleaning Chemicals Improperly Mixed Led to School Closure

By: Kevin MacMillan and Jason Shueh
Sierra Sun
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Photo: Jason Shueh/Sierra Sun

TAHOE CITY, Calif. — A chemical reaction was the probable cause for a cloud of noxious vapors Thursday morning at Tahoe Lake Elementary School that eventually led to the school being shut down prior to students arriving to campus, officials confirmed.

The North Tahoe Fire Protection District received a call at 8:31 a.m. Thursday, said spokesman Dave Zaski, about possible smoke coming from the gymnasium at the school.

New Bedford School Science Lab Fire

By: Anika Clark
aclark@s-t.com
SouthCoastToday.com
November 02, 2010

NEW BEDFORD — Keith Middle School is closed today after a smoky fire broke out Monday night in a first-floor science prep room, where hazmat crews earlier in the day had cleaned out an acid wash tank which had filled with chemicals several weeks ago.

"It appears that there (were) some chemicals involved in the fire," Fire Chief Brian Faria said. "Smoke was going on three floors of the building."

At press time, the chemicals had not been identified.

At 10:20 p.m., Southcoast Hospitals spokeswoman Joyce Brennan said 10 firefighters had come in to be checked out. "They (are) all expected to be treated and released at this time."

As emergency personnel investigated the cause of smoke reported by school custodial staff shortly before 7 p.m., they identified the source as a fire in a first-floor science room, District Fire Chief Scott Kruger said.

He said the fire appeared to be caused by a chemical reaction.

School Kitchens Flunk Health Inspections

By: Helena Bottemiller

FoodSafetyNews.com

Oct 14, 2010

More than half of the school kitchens in the Philadelphia School District failed the last round of health inspections, according to state records analyzed by Philadelphia Daily News.

The worst offenders appeared to be charter schools, which were 66 percent out of compliance, compared with the 53 percent failure rate across the district.  According to The Daily News, some schools on the list had as 20 significant violations, ranging from "mouse feces found on cooking utensils to food being stored next to chemicals."

Hazardous Chemical Misused in a School

By DAVID SEIFMAN City Hall Bureau Chief nypost.com
October 16, 2010

NY Post: G.N. Miller 

Two students created a scare at a middle school in Brooklyn by pouring a potentially dangerous chemical into the hands of unsuspecting classmates -- leading to a hazmat response that included cops and firefighters, officials disclosed yesterday.

Six students from Seth Low IS 96 in Bensonhurst were taken to Coney Island Hospital as a precaution.

Several others were taken to emergency rooms by their parents after Thursday's incident.

School Lockdown After Mercury Exposure

By: Maureen Magee and Hailey Persinger

Published: October 8, 2010

San Diego — Toler and Bay Park elementary schools were taken off lock down status at around 4:30 p.m.

UPDATE 4 p.m. - Mission Bay High School has been taken off lock down status and all students were sent home at about 3:25 p.m., said the San Diego Fire Department. Lock downs for Bay Park and Toler elementary schools are still in effect.

UPDATE 2:40 p.m. - About 140 students have been isolated and are being screened for mercury contamination at Mission Bay High School after officials found that they'd entered classrooms with dangerous levels of the substance.