Evacuation due to acid

This is how dangerous toxic old stocks are in schools

Many schools still store old stocks of toxic chemicals.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Trendsetter Images)

The evacuation of a technical college in Mödling with 3,500 children caused a stir among teachers, pupils and firefighters alike on Tuesday morning. Picric acid was the cause of the commotion. Krone+ asked around at Austrian schools to find out what chemicals are stored there and what dangers our children are exposed to.

It crunches, it smokes and at the end there is a loud bang - chemistry lessons at school are among the most spectacular and therefore sometimes most popular subjects. Also because some teachers give free rein to their love of experimentation. "This probably affects male colleagues more. I don't like the bangs that much," says Anita Firtz, a chemistry teacher in Korneuburg, with a wink.