Over the last 15 years, scores of students have been injured or burned in dozens of lab experiments and other educational settings. Many of the injured students suffered second- and third-degree burns on their faces and upper bodies. The burn injuries are painful, the recovery is long, and victims can be scarred physically and mentally for life. Last September for example, 13 people, most of them children, were injured during a science demonstration at the Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum in Reno, Nevada. Authorities and museum officials said that a mixture of methyl alcohol and boric acid—components of a routine exhibition conducted daily that creates a whirling “fire tornado” effect—exploded in a flash fire, burning viewers on their hands, arms, and faces.