Chemical Demonstration Safety Information at ILPI

This section of our web site is dedicated to stopping the injuries caused by ill-advised chemical demonstrations that utilize flaming liquids such as methanol and ethanol. While these can be performed safely, the required knowledge, preparation, equipment, and risk/benefit ratio mean that in most cases, these should NOT be attempted.

These liquids with an almost invisible flame. If the instructor mistakenly believes the flame went out and then pours more methanol in (and this is often from a 4-liter bottle), the result is a flame jetting eruption which instantly shoots a fireball of flaming liquid ten feet or more. The American Chemical Society (ACS) has released a video that explains flame jetting at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sfUl6GIdYo (you may have to wait for an ad).

This ACS video was made in collaboration with a number of groups committed to helping prevent flame jetting incidents: US Chemical Safety Board, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), BEAR, Inc., Sterno Products, LLC, Office of Congressman Mike Thompson, ATF Fire Research Laboratory, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, American Burn Association, Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation, Lamplight Farms, Jensen Hughes, Battelle, Health Canada and the Portable Fuel Container Manufacturers Association (PFCMA).

Vent your flammable storage safety cabinets safely with Safe-T-Vent thermally-actuated dampers from Safety Emporium.

We have documented dozens of incidents involving over 100 injuries (some severe) to students from the elementary through college level in the past twenty years. These are often reported as "accidents" during "experiments" in high schools across the globe. These are NOT accidents. They are a completely foreseeable outcome of using an outdated teaching tool that goes by various names such as the "Rainbow Experiment" or "Borate Flame" (also known as the "Flaming Tornado" demonstration). And these are often referred to as "experiments" when they are really nothing more than pedagogically dubious demonstrations. Here is some background to give you an idea of the scope of the problem:

• Playing with Fire: Chemical Safety Expertise Required
• CSB Releases Safety Message on Preventing Accidents in High School Chemistry Labs
• Safety Alert: The Rainbow Demonstration (ACS seeks to prevent additional burn incidents
• School Experiment That Burned Boy Was Focus of Federal Warning
• This chemistry fire demonstration has repeatedly burned students
• Fire Injures Five High School Chemistry Students Safety: Concerns grow about use of methanol as fuel in demonstrations
• Safety Alert: Do Not Use Methanol-Based Flame Tests on Open Laboratory Desks

Thanks to the efforts of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and other groups, the top hits on Google searches for these kinds of demos make the danger immediately clear. However, recent experiences have indicated that many instructors fail to make even a cursory attempt to look up the necessary safety precautions for such demonstrations. We need everyone at every level - state fire marshals, school boards, unions, teachers, parents and students to get the word out to stop performing these demonstrations once and for all.

Legal Actions

LAWSUIT PENDING (Jun 21, 2025) - The family of a student injured in the Jasmine Moran Children's Museum incident (see below) is reportedly filing a lawsuit seeking $10 million USD in damages although we can find no record of a filing at this time.

LAWSUIT FILED (Dec 30, 2019) - The student injured in the Capri Elementary School "black snake" incident (see below) has filed a lawsuit seeking a jury trial against the Encinitas Union School District and up to 50 unnamed staff members claiming negligence for failure to take appropriate safety precautions. The filing has a detailed report on the incident and aftermath.

RECORD JURY AWARD (Jul 1, 2019) - A Beacon High School student was awarded nearly $60 million after a jury trial in New York. Alonzo Yanes was horridly burned over 30% of his body when his teacher ignited a fireball during the "Rainbow Experiment". Another student also received third degree burns. The laboratory involved had no safety shower or fume hood and the teacher and administration failed in their legal obligation to assess the risks associated with the procedure and mitigate the hazards. The teacher insists she did nothing wrong despite expert testimony indicating that the teacher violated a host of well-known best safety practices. The school is now apparently trying to dodge its responsibility to pay the full amount.

UPDATE (Aug 13, 2020) - The New York Supreme court upheld the judgement, rejecting the defendants' claim that the award was excessive. No doubt, further appeals will follow.

UPDATE (Nov 18, 2021) - Calling the jury ward "excessive" the NY Appellate Division reduced the award to $29 million, still the highest payout in New York.

And Yet The Carnage Continues

Jul 3, 2025, Brookline High School, Brookline, MA: student and teacher were burned when a fire broke out on July 3 during a chemistry experiment in a summer school class. The Massachusetts Fire Marshal, Jake Wark, said "The preliminary evidence suggests that a teacher was conducting an experiment that involved isopropyl alcohol, which is highly flammable. During this process, the alcohol ignited and the shirt of a student in close proximity caught fire, causing serious burn injuries". The teacher suffered minor burns and the 15-year-old student was treated for first and second degree burns to the hands, chest and face at Boston Children's Hospital.

Jun 21, 2025, Jasmine Moran Children's Museum, Seminole, OK: Child suffers serious burns in accident at Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum. A 4-year old child suffered first and second degree burns to 15% of his body after a mishap when hand sanitizer was spilled near the open flame of a s'mores maker. Technically, this was not a demonstration, but it highlights the importance of 1) performing proper formal risks assessments for all classroom activities and 2) paying particular attention to the risks and value of activities involving flame, especially with young students in a hands-on environment. The family is reportedly filing a lawsuit seeking $10 million USD in damages.

Feb 6, 2025, Southport High School, Indianapolis, IN: Several students were injured when a large glass carboy shattered during a "whoosh bottle demonstration". This type of demo typically involves igniting a small amount of alcohol in a nearly empty container. The rapidly expanding gases generated by the fire rapidlys exit through a narrow neck opening, creating a characteristic "whoosh" noise. The inherent danger of creating a pressure wave in a mostly enclosed glass bottle should be self-evident, but this is one of those "golden oldies" that continues to surface. We have also heard of similar injuries using plastic carboys which tend to get brittle with age.

NFPA 45, Standard on Fire Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals, provides guidance that could have avoided these injuries. The American Chemical Society (ACS) Divison of Chemical Health and Safety (DCHAS) posted an excellent summary by Ralph Stuart titled A Practical Approach to NFPA 45 which, if applied here, would have likely avoided these injuries. The NFPA 45 standard is available for download upon free registration at https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-45-standard-development/45 (look for the Free Access link).

The ACS Division of Chemical Education (CHED) has a concise document Safety Guidelines for Chemical Demonstrations that incorporates those principles and more.