Hyper Local News Pages

Friday, April 4, 2008

04/04/08 - (Update) Breaking News - The Chemical Spill At Western Middle School


This hand belongs to a victim of formalin contact
caused dermatitis of the nails.

Spin Control:
Don't Call The Chemical
Formaldehyde
It's Formalin, Damn It,
It's Formalin !!!!



Fluid spill at Western sends two students to hospital

A Formalin spill today in science classroom 22 at Western Middle School resulted in two students being taken to the hospital as a precaution, according to a Greenwich Public Schools press release.

A student reached for something in a cabinet and accidentally knocked a jar containing the fluid (a Formaldehyde solution significantly diluted with water) into another object in the cabinet, thereby cracking the jar containing the Formalin.

Safety protocols were immediately deployed. Students and staff were removed from the classroom; the fire department was dispatched to the school, and the school district’s Science Safety Officer was consulted. The situation was assessed, and the material was cleaned using appropriate safety measures.

The cleaning protocol includes cleaning with a special solution three times, a PH swab over all surfaces that came in contact with the solution to detect any residue, air monitoring and ventilation. Deputy Fire Chief Keith Millette has determined that the room is now safe for occupancy.

The school nurse and paramedics examined every student and staff member involved. The two students taken to the hospital had complained of symptoms that may have been related to exposure to the Formalin. Both students have been treated and released.

Let us look at formalin.

Formalin is a saturated solution of formaldehyde, water, and typically another agent, most commonly methanol. In its typical form, formalin is 37% formaldehyde by weight (40% by volume), 6-13% methanol, and the rest water. A quick glance at any commercially available formalin product will confirm these numbers. Formaldehyde provides the disinfectant and bacteriacide/germacide effects of formalin. The water content of formalin provides a dilution of formaldehyde. And the methanol content stabilizes the naturally chemically unstable formaldehyde compound.

See The Video At The Previous Post About The

Western Middle School Chemical Spill:

04/04/08 - Formaldehyde Spill At Western Middle School



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