In not wanting glue being sprayed in an unventilated classroom full of children?

[needsomeair]

Wanting to know if I am alone in this. My DD (8yrs old) has come home from school complaining of the stink and fumes in the classroom this afternoon. She said the teacher was sticking down lots of artwork using a spray glue that was very "stinky" and gave her a bit of a headache. Apparently a few kids complained about the smell but were ignored and told to get on with their work. I asked if it was just used for a quick few sprays but she assured me it had been used to stick up about 27 paintings onto cardboard.

So, this was spray mount I assume - the sort of stuff that you use OUTSIDE or at worst by an open window. A quick look at a data sheet confirms it's quite nasty stuff that needs to be used in a well-ventilated area and that it contains ingredients that can cause fetal abnormalities in pregnant women. I imagine it would be particularly irritating to kids with asthma.

Would be good to hear the opinions of some teachers too. Are you supposed to use this stuff in a classroom?

I would say no. I have used this before in my job and it gives you a big headache if in an enclosed area so I would bring this up with them.

Did anyone die? Was anyone carted off to hodpital?

If not the YABU. Tell her to get over it and be thankful the are being taught different techniques and not just handed blunt crayons.

so no one dying is the yardstick of acceptable behaviour now?

I forgot about the "Did anyone die" yardstick TCB

You're not a teacher by any chance are you?! [bangsheadagainstthewall emoticon]

Jesus between this and the wifi the human population will be extinct by thursday

I'ma teacher, no it isn't OK to use it in the classroom if there are children present.
Sounds like the teacher was in a rush and trying to get things finished, but s/he should have waited until after school.
H&S being flouted.

Thank you TheNebulousBoojum - good to hear from a teacher's perspective. I know it's not terribly popular to bring "Health and Safety" into any debate (I can see that from one or two comments on this thread alone). I am sure she was in a rush and up against it. Obviously she doesn't fully appreciate the H&S implications of using such substances otherwise she wouldn't use it. I'll try and have a quiet word with her tomorrow and double check the exact glue she was using.

Spray mount is nasty stuff. Put it this way, in companies I've worked at you have a booth and an extractor to suck away the fumes so no YANBU. I would create merry hell.

If you are really bothered ask to see their
MSDS sheet
Cleaps form

and risk assement

YANBU. I nearly killed several of my colleagues spraying flower pots gold in the staff room once.

Not my finest hour.

I use those sprays in my profession, if on a small space a mask and special extractors are needed, even in a highly ventilated room you can do so much spraying without risking an intoxication.

I have only had problems with this once, I learned quickly how dangerous they are, I got some horrible chest pains.

Spraying that stuff in a children classroom, no way, spraying 27 works... I would say time to kick off big time. The stuff is really dangerous and flamable, this is not pvc glue in spray. I would have been mortified if my staff were asked to use it on the way that you describe, in frong ofy child??? That teacher is simply put... An idiot.

spray mount really is a health and safety issue - it's banned in my company (my department is publishing).

No, definitely not ok. I'm an art teacher, and spray mount is very potent, so should be sprayed in well ventilated child free areas.

If it says that it should be used in a well ventilated area then they should at least ensure all the windows are wide open.

TA here.. It's vile stuff and shouldn't be done if children present.

Also why is the teacher ignoring the well being of your child like that. We wouldn't at our school.

Not necessarily an idiot, just a generalist forced to rush to complete job 436 of the day and not thinking the whole thing out properly.
Get them glued in the afternoon, put up the display after school, then onto the marking and resources for the next day.
Some shortcuts are a bad idea and this is one of them.

We used to work up to 12 hrs shifts, to much work to do is not a justification for this. But I'm sure she has already learned her lesson, considering she was holding the can she must have felt pretty rotten during and afterwards applying the adhesive.

Massive no no. I'd be really unhappy at that.

Definitely a massive no no if she used certain types of spray glue. There are some non toxic spray mounts suitable for use around children though - Elmers is one of them.

It's unlikely she used it as 3M does seem to be the glue of choice in many places, but I would check before you start giving her a piece of your mind.

I use Elmers because 3M gives me blinding headaches. It's not easy to get hold of, but you can get it, and it is safe to be used around and by children over five.

I'd be unhappy my son has acute asthma, he'd need carted off too hospital, he really struggles with chemicals.

No this is not right, I work in design and we have to under our health and safety have to use a glue booth extractor in a well ventilated area. I would be very angry if it was being used in this way near my child. I think it would need to be risk assessed properly.

Thank you everyone. Have emailed the Head to express my concerns and ascertain what the school policy is on this matter.