Nearly twenty elementary school students and their teacher ended up in the hospital after doing a classroom experiment with dry ice in Tennessee.
This third grade class at Vena Stuart Primary School had a classroom presenter with whom they carried out a dry ice experiment. Immediately after the experiment, several students began feeling nauseous, requiring intervention from the school nurse, Sumner County Schools Superintendent Scott Langford reported in a shared video. on the Facebook page.
A total of 18 students and one teacher were taken to hospital to treat their symptoms, Langford said. The students are all safe and sound, and have been returned to the care of their parents.
Dry ice is a solidified form of carbon dioxide that, when it melts, releases carbon dioxide into the air as a gas. Although present in the air naturally in small amounts, it can be hazardous to your health in large quantities, according to the New York State Health Department. The risks of poisoning would be increased in enclosed spaces with little ventilation, because this gas is heavier than air.
The headaches, vomiting and nausea experienced by students at Vena Stuart School are symptoms of carbon dioxide poisoning. However, authorities have not confirmed that it was indeed this type of poisoning at this time.
