edited by MIRIAMC. NAG&
Avo" High School Avon. CT 06001
Caution! Flammable Volatile Liquid Miriam C. Nagel Avon High School, Avon, CT 06001 Two students were hospitalized and 17 others were treated for smoke inhalation after an alcohol can exnloded in a New England high school. A student had placed a small alcohol burner close to a gallon can of methanol toward the end of a freshman science class. The 16-year-old boy said, "I put the burner down. I didn't see whether it was out or n o t I ' m pretty sure it wasout-I stepped three feet away and the thing blew up." Headdcd, "I war on tire." He also said that he had not seen the gallon container of methanol.' The accident occurred in May 1984. Following a similar accident in April 1970, six students and a teacher were hosp i t a l i ~ e d The . ~ two schools are about 50 miles apart. Must each generation rediscover the dangers of flammahle volatile liquids? Students have been burned when they spilled alcohol near a heat source. They have also been hurned while refilling still-hot alcohol burners. Not all accidents involvina alcohol happen in science classes. An art student suffered hurned hand when she used nn alwhol burner to heat a knife which she was using with wax. She started to refill the hot burner because she thought the flame had gone out. In another mishap three srudentsra tearher, and two aides were hospitnlized following the explosion of a partially filled can of alcohul that ignited from an nla~hulhurner being used in the room. One of the students was hurned over 8S0i of her ~ M ISuch v.~ inwries shuuld not occur. The uuesrion has ro he asked, "Were the teachers and their science supervisors unaware of the inherent explosive potential of alcohol, or were they negligent?'' Much concern has been expressed in recent years over threats to students' health from asbestos in ceiling tiles or by chance encounters with carcinogens in the laboratory, yet the ever-present and almost instantaneous potential for serious injury from flammahle volatile liquids is forgotten or ignored. Everrone handling flammable volatile liquids should know the da&ers involved, particularly persons risponcible for the lives ot'sfudentu. Not only is it important for the teacher to be fully informed about fire and explosion hazards and how to handle flammable volatile liquids safely, i t is important to teach this information to students as of the laboratory lesson. The horrors of alcohol fires in the laboratory are multiplied many times by the tragic home and garage fires fueled by gasoline. Many such accidents could be prevented by good education. Both ethyl and methyl alcohol have National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) flammability hazard ratings of 3. This category comprises "Liquids which can he ignited under almost all normal temperature condition^."^ Specific infor-
a
' The Hartford Courant, May 18, 1984, p. D l .
The Boston Globe, April 12, 1970. National Fire Protection Association, Batterymarch Park, Quincy,
MA 02269.
National Research Council. "Prudent Practices for Handling Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories," National Academy Press, Washington. DC. 1981, p. 60.
mation ahont flammable liquids is tabled in NFPA Guides 49, "Hazardous Chemicals Data," and 325111, "Fire Hazard Properties of Flammable Liquids, Gases, and Volatile Solids." Every laboratory reference shelf should have current copies of the guides. Significant fire hazard properties should he defined and discussed as Dart of lab safetv trainine. Flash point is the temperature at whicha f l a m m k e liquid gives off enough vapor to form a mixture with air, above the surface of the liquid, capable of ignition from an external source, and sufficiently concentrated to . nronaeate the flame throughout the air-vapor mixture. Flammable (explosiue) limits.. exnressed in oercent bv . volume of air, a&
