Danger lurks in school chemistry labs. Sensitive substances can turn into risky substances if stored incorrectly. Explosive picric acid recently set off alarm bells in the Oberwart district. Specialists from the Cobra task force defused the situation.
Picric acid is harmless when wet, but the chemical mixture is considered highly explosive when dry. Small vibrations or unscrewing the container can be enough to cause a violent explosion.
HTL was evacuated
HTL Mödling in Lower Austria was confronted with this sobering realization just a month ago. When the dried material was discovered in the workshop’s laboratory, 250 students had to leave the building. The harmless service of the Ministry of the Interior, the pollutant advisory service of the Lower Austrian State Fire Brigade Association and state chemists were on duty.
Acid found in Oberschützen
Similar explosive incidents repeatedly lead to the evacuation of schools in eastern Austria. As a warning, directorates are asked to regularly check their chemical stocks. Explosive picric acid was also found in a darkened 0.5 liter glass bottle in the poison cabinet of the locked laboratory in the Bundesrealgymnasium in Oberschützen.
“Dispose of risky substances via a specialized company”
All authorities were immediately put on high alert, supported by an experienced environmental chemist from the South Pollution Unit of the Pinkafeld city fire brigade. With the help of specialists from the Cobra task force, the flammable acid was rendered harmless.
What remained was a substance that was no longer explosive, but still highly poisonous. A local expert: “The school management should have the risky substance removed immediately by a specialized company, even if the removal is associated with enormous costs.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
