Gallium show-and-tell triggers Billinghurst evacuation
Billinghurst Middle School in Reno was evacuated Friday morning after an eight-grader took a piece of gallium for his science class' show and tell.
The student bought the metal online and took it to class to show his friends how it melted in his hand, said Tracy Moore, a police officer with the Washoe County School District.
"We got the report from the school that the students were in possession of some sort of metal substance that they thought was some type of hazardous chemical that the students were exposed to," Moore said.
A teacher saw the gallium melt in the student's hands and called the police, who sent a HAZMAT team to investigate. The Washoe County Health Department, the Reno Fire Department and a team of paramedics also responded to the call at about 10:30 a.m.
Moore described gallium as "a white metal colored alloy ... that melts at a very low temperature, at about 85 to 95 degrees."
It is typically used for conducting electricity, he said.
The school was evacuated, and the students who had touched the metal were isolated, Moore said.
The HAZMAT team found that the metal was safe, and the school was reopened at 20 minutes later.
"He thought it was pretty interesting," Moore said. "Most people find it fascinating where you take a piece of metal, hold it in your hand and it begins to melt. I think he wanted it for more of a show and tell to his friends ...not knowing what it was himself either."
Once the students returned to class, parents were notified of the evacuation via email.
The school's principal was to determine what, if any, discipline the student would receive, Moore said.