Unvented chemical reaction sends Boston Arts Academy students to the nurse's office, hospital

The Boston Fire Department reports its hazmat unit responded to the Boston Arts Academy, 174 Ipswich St., around 10 a.m. because "a classroom was working with hydrochloric acid and it did not vent properly through the hood system."

A BPS spokesman reports:

This morning there were 23 students in a chemistry class at Boston Arts Academy who were conducting an experiment that involved evaporating water from zinc chloride. They were using beakers that were used last week to conduct a separate experiment with hydrochloric acid. Apparently there was some residual hydrochloric acid in the beakers that were used today. Some of this vaporized during the lab experiment, which emitted an odor that caused discomfort with some of the students. All 23 students were examined at the nurses’ office, as well as some students from an adjoining classroom; and some were then evaluated at the scene by Boston EMS.

BFD reports some were taken to a local hospital to be checked out.

BFD reports readings in the classroom are back to normal and the kids are back in school.