A high school student brought pepper spray to school and it apparently went off accidentally, causing a great stir at the school. About 10 students and their tutor were poisoned and had to be taken to the emergency room at a hospital. The teenager’s mother said she gave the spray to her daughter for protection because they live in “a very dangerous place” and the risks are lurking.
Chaos occurred yesterday at the former National School (located on Paseo Güemes), around noon, when a call to the 911 emergency system alerted about the poisoning of students and a teacher. Several Samec ambulances were immediately dispatched to the scene to assist those affected.
The Ministry of Education of Salta confirmed that the incident was triggered by a pepper spray that a student was carrying in her backpack, and according to them, after hitting the backpack against the ground, the tear gas was activated accidentally. “The students and the headmistress were taken to the hospital with the headmistress, they called the parents, they took their children and at 13 hours they were already out of the hospital without any consequences, only their throat was itchy, that is why they were discharged,” said educational sources.
They added that “the person whose throat itched the most was the preceptor, who was also discharged a while later.” They stressed that it was an “accident”, that “the mother said that since they live in a very dangerous place and cannot accompany her every day to the bus stop, she gave her daughter that gas to protect herself from any danger.” “.
The fact reflects a legitimate concern on the part of the mother for the safety of her daughter, however, the use of pepper spray also poses risks both to the safety of those who use it and to those who could be affected by its accidental or improper use.
In May 2023, at school 4,845 in the El Huaico neighborhood, north of the city, a sixth-grade student carried a pepper spray tube that ended up poisoning several of her classmates and the teacher. The student used the spray inside the classroom when her classmates were there, although they indicated that she did not do it with the intention of harming them. After the incident, the children received a workshop on school coexistence.
Pepper spray is a chemical compound whose active ingredient is capsaicin, a compound derived from the fruits of plants of the capsicum genus. They are native vegetables of America that correspond to chili peppers, peppers, chillies or chili peppers. It is generally very irritating and the effect can last several hours if treatment is not carried out quickly.
