Jar Of Sodium Prompts Hazmat Response At Rockland School

ROCKLAND, MA — Rockland firefighters were called to a school after an old jar of sodium was discovered.

Rockland Fire says a teacher at the North River Collaborative School found the jar Tuesday afternoon while cleaning a cabinet in a science classroom.Upon arrival, firefighters located a cardboard box inside of a filing cabinet. Inside the box were multiple containers and jars containing a variety of leftover chemicals and substances from old science experiments.

Based on the appearance box and jars, it is believed that the sodium was there for years, if not decades.

After it was determined that the two-pound jar of sodium was determined to be a potential safety hazard and a regional hazmat team was requested to investigate. The sodium was taken to the Rockland Recycling Center, where it was deemed safe, according to Rockland Fire.

There were no leaks or spills from the box or jar. Other chemicals in the box were found and will be disposed of out of caution.

“HazMat teams exist to provide for the safest possible mitigation of unwanted substances and chemicals. They are the professionals, and I want to acknowledge the faculty and administration of the North River Collaborative for making the correct call and notifying the fire department about these chemicals,” Chief Scott Duffey said in a release. “While a regional response brings a lot of vehicles and personnel to a location, today’s operation was conducted in an orderly and efficient manner.”

No injuries were reported.

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