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Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Letter to the National PTA regarding the rainbow flame demo
Date: Saturday, June 22, 2019 at 4:30:45 AM
Author: Alan Hall <oldeddoc**At_Symbol_Here**GMAIL.COM> 		Next by Date:
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Letter to the National PTA regarding the rainbow flame demo
Date: Sun, 23 Jun 2019 00:41:58 +0800
Author: Eric Goff

(Note: This post is 6 years old and may contain outdated information.)

From: pzavon**At_Symbol_Here**ROCHESTER.RR.COM
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Letter to the National PTA regarding the rainbow flame demo
Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2019 13:15:12 +0000
Reply-To: pzavon**At_Symbol_Here**ROCHESTER.RR.COM
Message-ID: 4a66de1ba9fda2dd71e8e985450fbfb68773d711**At_Symbol_Here**webmail


One thing I notice about this letter and many other comments about this demonstration directed to educators is the frequent absence of guidance on how to perform it more safely, or on alternative, less hazardous, demonstrations that would illustrate the same principles.


In my experience, it is usually more effective to provide alternatives than to simply say "don't do that."

Decades ago, my then boss at Princeton University used to say to faculty members something along the lines of "I am not telling you that you can't to that; I am telling you that you can't do it in the way you have been accustomed to doing it."

Peter Zavon, CIH
Penfield, NY
(on location in Cincinnati, OH)

-----------------------------------------

From: "davivid"
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Cc:
Sent: Friday June 21 2019 6:36:30PM
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Letter to the National PTA regarding the rainbow flame demo

Here is a letter I just emailed to the National PTA. Let's hope this
helps get some progress on the issue.

Dave Lane
Principal
Clavis Technology Development


-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: Dangerous classroom demonstration
Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2019 15:31:09 -0700
From: davivid <davivid**At_Symbol_Here**well.com>
To: info**At_Symbol_Here**pta.org

Dear PTA Gatekeeper

I write to call your attention to a common classroom demonstration that
injures students in several incidents every year. I hope that the PTA
can help end this practice by informing parents and schools of the danger.

The demonstration is typically called the "Rainbow Flame" or similar. It
involves solutions of various metal salts dissolved in alcohol that are
set on fire. The different metal salts give various colored flames,
hence "rainbow flame". If alcohol is poured near flame or other ignition
source the alcohol can suddenly erupt from the bottle in a phenomenon
called "flame jetting". The jet of flaming alcohol can severely burn
anyone in the path of the flames even as far as ten feet away.

Here are some links describing flame jetting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sfUl6GIdYo /> Small Bottle, HUGE Fireball (How Flame Jetting Works)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkOX91tRb04 /> Dangerous =E2=80=98Flame Jetting' Phenomenon Kills Hundreds Every Year



Here are links to some recent instances of flame jetting that have
injured students

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2015/11/11/this-chemistry-fire-demonstration-has-repeatedly-burned-students/?noredirect=on />
https://nypost.com/2019/06/18/student-injured-in-science-class-recalls-hopelessly-burning-alive/ />
https://www.pritzkerlaw.com/personal-injury/2017/rainbow-fire-science-experiment-hospitalizes-6-tx-preschoolers/ />
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/04/nyregion/school-experiment-that-burned-boy-was-focus-of-federal-warning.html />
https://nypost.com/2019/06/20/teacher-of-chemistry-lab-gone-wrong-neglected-safety-protocols-expert/ />


Here is information on making classroom demonstrations safer

https://cen.acs.org/articles/93/i46/Make-Chemistry-Classroom-Demonstrations-Experiments.html?PageSpeed=noscript />
http://ameriburn.org/prevention/stop-the-flame/ />
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/chemical-safety/basics/flame-jetting.html />
https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/about/governance/committees/chemicalsafety/publications/ccs-chair-rainbow-demonstration-cen-comment.pdf />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkBFG1mTSBk /> A Safer "Rainbow Flame" Demo for the Classroom


I ask your help in making classrooms safer for all students.

Thank You
Dave Lane

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