XN000022-1980-09-02 — Page 4

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1980

SAFETY IN SCHOOL LABORATORIES

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THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAS REQUESTED SUPERVISORS, SCHOOL HEADS, SCIENCE TEACHERS AND LABORATORY TECHNICIANS TO PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO SAFETY IN SCHOOL LABORATORIES AS SET OUT UNDER THE HONG KONG EDUCATION REGULATIONS 1971.

IN CASE A SCIENCE LABORATORY IS USED AS A CLASSROOM FOR NON-SCIENCE LESSONS DUE TO FLOATING CLASS ARRANGEMENTS, THE TEACHER SHOULD SEE THAT THE STUDENTS DO NOT ENTER THE LABORATORY UNLESS HE IS PRESENT AND THAT THEY DO NOT DISTURB OR REMOVE ANY OF THE SCIENCE MATERIALS IN THE LABORATORY, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID.

PAST RECORDS REVEAL THAT ACCIDENTS OR EXPLOSIONS IN SCHOOL LABORATORIES WERE MOSTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE PREPARATION AND BURNING OF HYDROGEN, MIXING WATER WITH CONCENTRATED SULPHUR IC ACID, MIXING CONCENTRATED ACIDS WITH POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE, GRINDING OR WARMING A MIXTURE OF AN OXIDIZING AGENT WITH CARBON AND/OR SULPHUR, PREPARATION OF CHLORINE AND HYDROGEN SULPHIDE, AND HANDLING OF BROMINE.

THE SPOKESMAN ALSO DREW THE ATTENTION OF SCIENCE TEACHERS AND LABORATORY TECHNICIANS TO THE USE OF BENZENE, WHICH IS A SUSPECTED CARCINOGEN. +CARCINOGENS CAN ENTER THE BODY NOT ONLY BY INGESTION, BUT ALSO BY INHALATION AND SKIN ABSORPTION. IN GENERAL, EFFECTS OF CHEMICAL CARCINOGENS ARE LONG-TERM AND INSIDIOUS, RATHER THAN IMMEDIATE AND OBVIOUS, HE SAID.

+ON SAFETY GROUNDS, THE STORAGE, ISSUE AND USE OF CORROSIVE, POISONOUS OR CARCINOGENIC SUBSTANCES LIKE BROMINE, CONCENTRATED ACIDS AND ALKALIS, AND BENZENE SHOULD ALWAYS BE SUPERVISED BY THE SENIOR SCIENCE TEACHERS OF THE SCHOOL, HE ADDED.

THE ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR MINIMISING ACCIDENTS IN

A SCIENCE LABORATORY ARE OUTLINED IN THE PAMPHLET 'SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY' PUBLISHED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.

FURTHERMORE, TEACHERS ARE URGED TO MAKE SURE THAT POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS EXPERIMENTS, SUCH AS THOSE INVOLVING THE USE OF CONCENTRATED SULPHURIC ACID, THE HANDLING OF MICRO-ORGANISMS AND RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES, SHOULD NOT BE PERFORMED BY PUPILS AT HOME.

*THE ONLY PROPER PLACE FOR POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS EXPERIMENTS IS THE SCHOOL LABORATORY WITH QUALIFIED SUPERVISORY STAFF IN ATTENDANCE, THE SPOKESMAN EMPHASISED.

ENQUIRIES MAY BE MADE TO THE SCIENCE SUBJECTS SECTION, ADVISORY INSPECTORATE, EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, LEE GARDENS, HYSAN AVENUE, HONG KONG (TEL 5-774001 EXT 37, 38 OR 41).