Science experiment goes wildly wrong as 12-year-old suffers possible third-degree burns after teacher allegedly covered his hands with sanitizer and lit them on fire



A Texas middle school teacher has resigned after a science experiment went awry in the classroom, according to various reports.

The incident occurred on April 1. The school district in question is situated approximately 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

What are the details?

Granbury, Texas, police arrived at Granbury Middle School last week following reports of a student who had been burned on campus.

Investigators found that an unnamed teacher "put hand sanitizer in the hands of a 12-year-old male student and lit the hand sanitizer as part of a science experiment."

Though the teacher had reportedly carried out the experiment several times throughout the day on other students and had no trouble, the 12-year-old boy suffered what authorities described as possible third-degree burns on his hands.

“This had reportedly been done multiple times throughout the day with other students without incident, but the student in question suffered possible 3rd degree burns on his hands,” Lt. Russell Grizzard said in a statement. “The incident is under investigation and will be submitted to the District Attorney’s Office for review.”

Police continue to investigate the incident. It is unknown whether the teacher will face charges in connection with the classroom injury.

On the day of the accident, the Granbury Independent School District took to Twitter and announced the incident, writing, "A Granbury Middle School student was injured on Friday after attempting to copy a demonstration shown in science class. The student is receiving medical care, and campus officials are cooperating with the city fire inspector/investigator."

A Granbury Middle School student was injured on Friday after attempting to copy a demonstration shown in science class. The student is receiving medical care, and campus officials are cooperating with the city fire inspector/investigator.
— Granbury ISD (@Granbury ISD) 1648841779

Several days later in a follow-up statement, the district said, "A GMS teacher has resigned and is no longer an employee of the school district. This follows a student injury on Friday during a science class experiment. Campus officials have turned this matter over to law enforcement/proper authorities for further investigation."

Update\u2026.\nA GMS teacher has resigned and is no longer an employee of the school district. This follows a student injury on Friday during a science class experiment. Campus officials have turned this matter over to law enforcement/proper authorities for further investigation.
— Granbury ISD (@Granbury ISD) 1649185704

Anything else?

Carrying out such a risky experiment in the classroom may not be wise, experts say.

“Hand sanitizers with high concentrations of ethanol and hydroxypropyl are flammable,” Dr. Anthony Pizon, chief of medical toxicology at UPMC in Pittsburgh, told TODAY in 2020. “Any amount of hand sanitizer can light on fire. The volume controls how rapidly the flame will spread. If you have a little bit on your hands, a little bit will light on fire.”

“You should make sure your hands are completely dry before you light a match,” he added at the time.

Mom warns of danger of kids consuming hand sanitizer after kindergartener collapses from alcohol poisoning



A concerned Pennsylvania mother is speaking out against the dangers of young children using alcohol-based hand sanitizers after her kindergartener was rushed to the hospital with apparent alcohol poisoning.

What are the details?

The Pittsburgh-area mother said that her child was on just her second day of school for the 2021-22 academic year when she received a phone call that her daughter had collapsed.

According to a report from KDKA-TV, the incident took place at Moon Township area's J.H. Brooks Elementary school.

The unnamed child reportedly set up her desk with her school supplies and a brand-new bottle of hand sanitizer, as directed by administrators, before she fell ill.

"The principal called and said to get to the school immediately," the child's mother recalled. "She was walking a little wobbly down the hall. By the time they got to the classroom, to the lunchroom, she fell and couldn't sit up straight."

The child was rushed to the hospital, where her mother said she was diagnosed with alcohol poisoning after having a blood-alcohol level of .23.

"She was completely out of it," she revealed. "I tried to wake her and she opened her eyes briefly and she looked at me, but it was almost as if she looked straight through me. And she started to cry and then she laid back down. I was very scared. I had no idea. The medic didn't have any idea, either."

Hours later, hospital staff determined that the child had drunk six ounces of sanitizer, which contained 70% alcohol.

"This class, each student has their own sanitizer pump bottle at their desk with their name on it for their personal use," the child's mother said. "My daughter had consumed half of that bottle. She consumed six ounces of 70% alcohol."

The child made a full recovery, but her mother is still concerned about possible long-term effects.

What is the school saying about this?

Superintendent Barry Balaski said that parents are responsible for whether the child uses personal sanitizer or district-provided hand-sanitizing stations.

"The health and wellness of our students is a priority," Balaski said. "The district provides hand-sanitizing stations that are available in each of our schools. In addition, students are permitted to have hand sanitizers in their desk or backpack. However, students are not required to keep it in their desk or backpack, particularly if a parent/guardian does not want them to have it."

Dr. Michael Lynch, who is head of Pittsburgh's Poison Center, said that children have increasingly been ingesting hand sanitizer since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In Pennsylvania, in the last 18 months, more or less since the start of the pandemic, we've seen a 56% increase in hand sanitizer exposure cases compared to the 18 months prior to that," he said. “Hand sanitizers will typically have 70% or so ethanol, which means they're about 140 proof. Even a small amount can be enough to get intoxicated."