An opened bottle of a chemical forced students and faculty to rush away from a pair of classrooms at the Capital Area Career Center Friday.
At 12:45 p.m. Mason's fire department was called to the school on a report of a gas leak.
Students and staff members in two classrooms of the health careers area were experiencing coughing and irritation.
The fire department located a one-gallon container of acetone that was left open. Acetone is a colorless liquid commonly used as a cleaning solvent. The evaporation process created the fumes which were then noticed by staff and students.
Everyone was removed from the health careers area and sent to other non-affected areas of the building.
Five faculty members were evaluated for acetone fume inhalation. No students needed medical care. The chemical was removed and the fire department ventilated the area.
The fire department says the building was safe to resume classes within an hour. The students will be dismissed at their normal time.
It is not known why the acetone was left open in the classroom.
