Nakusp Secondary School is investigating an incident where several students and a teacher were exposed to chlorine gas in the metal shop last week.
Village of Nakusp Fire Chief Terry Warren told the Arrow Lakes News that the students and teachers were taken to hospital to be checked out after a student inadvertently opened one of a number of pressurized containers containing chlorine on Thursday, Jan. 30.
“They suspect they came out of the science lab years ago and were chucked in the metal shop,” said Warren. “When they were cleaning the shop up, they were exposed and one was open when it shouldn’t have been.”
He said the container likely only had a small amount of chlorine gas in it, but that he could smell it in the hallways when he arrived at the school. He likened the smell to being at the hot springs.
Warren said the metal shop was inspected and cleaned out on Saturday. There were no ongoing issues at the school from the incident.
NSS principal Natasha Miles did not respond to questions about the incident, saying it was still under investigation, but that the students and teacher were doing fine.