By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
WHAT looked like a harmless bottle of soft drink dumped on school grounds has left nine teachers at Tooradin Primary School with symptoms of gas exposure.
Senior Sergeant Nathan Prowd from the Pakenham police station was alerted to the incident around 3.30pm today, Monday 11 July, after a student found the plastic bottle.
Sen Sgt Prowd said that a student found the bottle during a regular clean-up of the school grounds at noon and put it in a bin outside a staff office.
“It didn’t seem suspicious, just general rubbish,” Sen Sgt Prowd said.
But during the course of the day the bottle ruptured in the bin and a strong gas smell drifted into the adjacent office space.
“Some type of liquid has been released,” Sen Sgt Prowd said.
“We’ve had nine staff members with very minor symptoms shown and the staff immediately evacuated,” he said.
About 20 students were also removed from the building and accompanied staff onto the school oval.
Four CFA trucks attended and firefighters ventilated the office space and took the bottle onto the school oval.
No one required hospital treatment and the police investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Senior Sergeant Nathan Prowd from Pakenham police explains what happened.
