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Science experiment forces high school evacuation
A science experiment at John F. Kennedy High School caused the classroom to fill with smoke, activating fire alarms and sending students into the school's parking lots.
The incident occurred Tuesday at about 1:45 p.m. in a second floor chemistry lab at the high school.
A combination of potassium chlorate and sugar was mixed with sulfuric acid, creating smoke and activating fire alarms.
The building was evacuated and Doyle firefighters, wearing air packs, entered the building to ventilate the room. Firefighters were advised to wear the breathing apparatus until officials could verify the chemicals involved.
While the room was cleared, students waited patiently outside in school parking lots in atypical 69-degree weather.
"They assumed it wasn't toxic, but they cleared the school because of the smoke and they didn't know at the time where it was coming from," said Doyle-2 Fire Chief Dan Nash, who was unable to be present at the site. Assistant fire chiefs were in charge during the incident.
Cheektowaga Emergency Services Coordinator Earl Loder said the mixture used Tuesday was less than one gram.
"It was a very small quantity," Loder said. "There was nothing to it."
Potassium chlorate is a compound containing potassium, chlorine and oxygen, and is common in industrial use.
Among its applications, the compound is used as an oxidizing agent, as a disinfectant and in matches, explosives and fireworks.
The science experiment calls for equal parts of potassium chlorate mixed with sugar in a test tube or small glass jar. When a drop or two of sulfuric acid is added, the mixture bursts into a tall purple flame, accompanied by heat and heavy smoke.
"There was no hazard and no toxicity," Nash said. "There were no injuries or irritations."
The incident occurred minutes before the end of the academic day. Because emergency vehicles lined the bus circle, school buses lined up on Henry Street until emergency personnel cleared the lot.
Students were allowed back inside around 2:10 p.m.
Loder said chemical spill incidents are rare at schools, because the facilities generally don't keep large quantities on hand.
"That eliminates the problem quite a bit," Loder said.
Loder said he can recall responding to only two or three chemicalrelated incidents at schools, and they were all accidental spills.
"Once, somebody dropped a thermometer and the mercury ran all over," Loder said. 'That was not a big deal, either."
Nash agreed that chemical-related incidents occur "few and far between" at schools.
"There's always the potential and we do train for hazardous material incidents," Nash added. "Most of our hazardous material incidents have to do with fuel spills from automobile accidents."
Officials from the Cheektowaga- Sloan School District could not be reached for comment. The district closed schools Wednesday due to high winds. Its phone system was out of order until early afternoon Wednesday.
In an unrelated incident, Loder responded to the area of Treehaven and Century roads on January 3 to assist with a spill of radioactive material.
A vehicle transporting low-level radioactive medication lost part of its cargo around 6:30 a.m. last Thursday.
Loder said nine canisters were being transported by a pickup truck to the VA Hospital in Buffalo.
"Apparently the tailgate broke, and when they arrived at the VA, there were only three canisters," Loder said. "They backtracked but could not find the other two."
Loder said that the radioactive material was "very, very low-level," with a half-life of only six and onehalf hours.
"We were a little concerned with the time of day," Loder said. "School was starting, and we were concerned about the kids walking along the streets."
The medication was encased in lead tubes that were stored in ammunition type boxes.
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