Dangerous chemicals banned from school science labs

SCIENCE teachers are seeking clarification on how the banning of dangerous chemicals from schools will impact on next year’s Junior and Leaving Cert exams.

The Department of Education has told second-level schools that a range of substances should no longer be used in their science labs, following advice from the Health and Safety Authority. Schools were told in a letter last week that around a dozen chemicals and related compounds should be isolated, stored safely and kept in the school for collection by a chemicals disposal company.

On the Leaving Certificate chemistry syllabus, six mandatory experiments and two experiments to be demonstrated by teachers require some of the substances now being banned. The Junior Certificate science syllabus features a student practical activity that uses cobalt chloride paper, which schools have also been told not to use any longer.

Some of the substances may also be used for ceramics or other aspects of art classes.

Schools were told by the department that further communication on the curriculum implications will be issued following discussions with the State Examination Commission and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. In the interim, students will be expected to know about the experiments and their outcomes.