A bomb disposal team was called to a Nottingham school on Tuesday (November 1) and ‘safely disposed’ a dangerous chemical.
Notts Police arrived at Nottingham Academy’s Greenwood Road campus, in Bakersfield, yesterday after a warning that a lab chemical was dangerous after it was stored incorrectly.
The police issued a statement saying an explosive ordnance disposal unit attended the academy and “safely disposed” the chemical 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine.
The incident occurred at 4pm and no students were on site at the time.
At least seven schools from around the country have reportedly summoned police and military bomb disposal teams to conduct controlled explosions in recent days.
A spokeswoman for the British Army confirmed on Wednesday afternoon the 11 EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team, which provides support to the Department for Education to dispose the chemical, carried out the explosion.
A police spokesman said: “The police’s involvement in this was limited to assisting the ordnance disposal unit in making the area safe.”
Last month, CLEAPSS, the advisory body which provides practical scientific guidance to schools and colleges, advised how the chemical, used in A-level chemistry, should be stored.
Otherwise known as 2,4-DNP, it may explode when in contact with oxidising agents and metal oxides. It is supplied damp to minimise the risk of dust/air explosion.
If the chemical is allowed to dry out it can also be dangerous.
The academy released a statement saying the chemical had been stored at the school but, due to the change in guidance regarding the storage of the chemical, the academy was advised to contact Notts Police to safely dispose of it.
Ged Rae, lead principal of the academy, said: “This is a national issue and the police have already worked with a number of schools and academies across the country to arrange for the disposal of this chemical.
“We contacted Notts Police yesterday (Tuesday) after being advised by CLEAPSS that there was a low risk of it causing a small explosion or fire if it was dropped.”
“We were advised by them not to release any information about the incident, in case it raised unnecessary alarm or concern. The whole operation was done in a safe and controlled environment when pupils had left the site.”
