Two Elk Grove Middle School Students Injured In Science Class Explosion
ELK GROVE (CBS13) - A small explosion injured two students at an Elk Grove middle school during a science experiment on Monday.
The two Kerr Middle School eighth grade boys were hurt after chlorine splashed on them, according to Cosumnes Fire, which was called about the incident at about 2 p.m.
One was taken to the hospital by ambulance and the other was treated at the school and released to his parents. Both were treated for minor first-degree burns to their face and eye irritation.
The school district says the experiment involved putting chlorine tablets and rubbing alcohol into a plastic bottle, creating a combination more commonly known as a "chlorine bomb."
YouTube video shows how powerful the chlorine bomb explosion can be.
Cosumnes firefighters say something clearly went wrong.
"A science experiment that didn't go as planned," Battalion Chief Sean Stumbaugh said.
Parents want to know how kids ended up in harm's way.
"it's scary and I wonder what kind of measures they have for keeping things like that from happening," Wendy Sherman said.
A district spokeswoman confirmed there is an investigation under way to make sure the teacher, described as full time and a veteran of the district, followed proper procedures.
"To see if it's something that aligns with our curriculum and aligns with the standards we have in place," district spokeswoman Liz Graswich said.
It's still unclear if it was the teacher who mixed the chlorine and rubbing alcohol and why students were too close to the chemical reaction.
"I assume it was some kind of freak accident because most of these teachers have been doing this for a while," Sherman said.
