‘Mercury should be banned from school labs’

Mercury, a poisonous chemical regardless of quantity, should be banned from all high school science laboratories in the country.

Toxicologist Irma Macalinao of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Medicine, said last Sunday’s incident at the San Isidro National High School should serve as another wake up call.

According to her, schools should not store too much yet unnecessary amount of chemicals in their respective chemistry rooms especially mercury.

A hanging cabinet containing bottles of various chemicals fell and crashed on the floor of the school’s science laboratory at the fourth floor of the main building last Sunday.

Nine people, including five teachers, were hospitalized. Eight were later discharged while one remains confined in the intensive care unit of the Ospital ng Makati.

Macalinao said even ordinary thermometers that is used to check if someone has a fever contain 0.5 to 1 gram of mercury pose health risks to students.

"We should promote toxic free schools. Schools shouldn’t store too many chemicals in their laboratories," she stressed.

In an interview with The STAR, Macalinao said mercury should be completely removed from chemistry rooms while other chemical should be kept and stored properly and at allowable amounts.

She explained that the dangers posed by other toxic materials depend on the amount or concentration levels, which schools she said should be careful about.

Macalinao added that strong acids are also among the chemicals that should not be stored in high school science laboratories because they emit fumes.

Macalinao, along with officials of the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Department of Education, joined Mayor Jejomar Binay in a press conference yesterday to report on the latest developments in the cleanup operations at the San Isidro National High School.

DepEd—Makati superintendent Elena Ruiz said classes at the San Isidro National High School will remain suspended until the cleanup is finished.

"We will make announcements on a day to day basis," she said announcing that students will have to go through make up classes on Saturdays.

Binay assured that the city government will strictly follow what experts will say before it will allow students to again use the school.

Air sampling at San Isidro National High School is expected to be conducted over the weekend after the Bureau of Fire Protection and other rescue units finish transporting all recovered chemicals out of the campus for disposal.

Binay said the cleanup would be thorough and an investigation is being conducted by the Makati City police just to be sure that there was no foul play. — With Sandy Araneta