BERLIN, Conn. — A Berlin High School student and school staff member were sent to the hospital for evaluation after a science experiment went wrong and caused a gas leak Wednesday.
The Berlin Volunteer Fire Dept. was called to Berlin High School around 10 a.m. for a report of a gas leak.
Firefighters determined that a science experiment that was being conducted in a second-floor classroom malfunctioned and put Nitrogen Dioxide into the air.
The school was evacuated, and the students and staff in the classroom were evaluated. One student and a staff member complained of dizziness and eye/throat irritation, so were taken to an area hospital for further evaluation, officials said.
Fire crews and state environmental officials tested the air quality and deemed it safe to return to the school building.
School staff notified the parents of those affected, officials said.
The class experiment intended to create Nitrogen Dioxide, but not to release it into the air. Firefighters explained that the experiment used Nitric Acid and copper pennies in a closed loop to create the gas. One of the tubes was broken, causing the gas to enter the atmosphere, firefighters said.
When exposed to Nitrogen Dioxide, it can irritate the respiratory system and can cause dizziness, firefighters said. In extreme cases, it can cause someone to become unconscious.
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