[NetBehaviour] Fwd: Field trip ends at the hospital

Ryan Griffis ryan.griffis at gmail.com
Sun Dec 11 17:55:48 CET 2005


Begin forwarded message:
>
> http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051118/NEWS01/ 
> 511180436/1056
>
> Cincinnati Inquirer
>
> Field trip ends at the hospital
> Self-defense locket breaks; foul smell sickens some
>
> By Christy Arnold
> Enquirer staff writer
>
> COLERAIN TWP. - More than 50 Hartwell Elementary School children were  
> sent to a hospital Thursday morning after a piece of self-defense  
> jewelry broke, sending an offensive, skunk-like odor into the air.
>
> One asthmatic student was admitted to the hospital, said Dr. Richard  
> Ruddy, director of emergency medicine at Cincinnati Children's  
> Hospital Medical Center. The 57 other children, faculty members and  
> chaperones were treated and released.
>
> The fifth- and sixth-grade students were on a bus headed to field trip  
> at Miami University, said Cincinnati School District spokeswoman Janet  
> Walsh.
>
> A female student had at least one gold medallion, described as a  
> "piece of big bling or a Mr. T. starter kit," said Paul Riedel of the  
> Colerain Township Fire Department. The jewelry is designed for self  
> defense, he said.
>
> The gold medallion held a glass capsule containing butyl mercaptan, an  
> odor put in natural gas to give it a smell so leaks can be detected.  
> Higher concentrations of the chemical can be used in self-defense  
> aerosols.
>
> "It was in a child's necklace, on a big chain she wore around her  
> neck," said Capt. Hollis Love. "One of the kids got it open and  
> spilled some of the fluid."
> The chemical delivered "a very strong, overpowering smell," Walsh said.
>
> Some students complained of feeling sick and the bus driver pulled  
> into a Burger King parking lot on Colerain Avenue. Several children  
> threw up and some complained of breathing difficulties, Love said. Six  
> children were taken by ambulance to Children's. The district brought  
> in a new school bus, which took the remaining students to the  
> hospital, where they removed their clothes and showered.
>
> Law enforcement and school officials both are investigating the  
> mishap, though the likelihood of criminal charges being filed against  
> the student is remote, said Steve Barnett, spokesman for the Hamilton  
> County Sheriff's Office.
>
> Self-defense weapons, such as pepper spray, are not allowed on  
> Cincinnati school campuses. Walsh said penalties for carrying a banned  
> item varies, depending on the circumstances. Thursday's incident  
> appears to be an accident, she said.
> Love said he was told a parent gave the girl the medallion for  
> protection.
> Love and many school and law enforcement officials do not recommend  
> arming children with self-defense weapons.
>
> Denise Smith Amos contributed. E-mail carnold at enquirer.com
>
>




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