After the Rainbow

Summary

In 2006, Calais Webber, a 15-year-old chemistry enthusiast, suffered life-altering burns during a chemistry lab demonstration known as the 'Rainbow Experiment' involving methanol. The incident, which occurred without proper safety measures like safety gear and in an unsafe location, led to a chemical explosion that engulfed her in flames. Webber's harrowing experience, including a chemically induced coma and hallucinations, underscores the critical importance of laboratory safety. Her story, which includes a call to action for students to voice safety concerns, inspired the Chemical Safety Board to focus on laboratory safety issues.

Takeaways

• 🧪 Calais Webber's life-changing event: A 15-year-old student at a prestigious boarding school in Ohio, Calais Webber, had a life-altering accident during a chemistry lab in 2006.
• 🔬 Passion for Chemistry: Calais was a model and loved school, particularly chemistry, before the accident.
• 🌈 The Rainbow Experiment: The incident involved a demonstration of different chemicals burning at various light frequencies, resulting in flames of different colors.
• 🚫 Lack of Safety Protocols: The teacher did not require students to wear safety gear and performed the experiment on a desk instead of a safety hood.
• 🔥 Methanol Explosion: The chemical used in the demonstration, methanol, exploded when poured onto an open flame, causing severe injuries to Calais.
• 🏥 Prolonged Hospital Stay: Calais spent two and a half months in the hospital, including a week in a chemically induced coma and four days of hallucinations after waking up.
• 💔 Psychological Impact: The accident left Calais with lasting psychological trauma, including vivid hallucinations of being on fire and explosions.
• 🛡️ Preventable Accident: The script emphasizes that the accident was preventable with proper safety measures, such as performing the experiment in a hood and wearing safety gear.
• 🗣️ Speaking Up for Safety: Calais encourages students to voice concerns if they feel unsafe and to question safety information provided in a lab setting.
• 📚 Acceptance and Advocacy: Despite her injuries, Calais has accepted her situation and now advocates for laboratory safety to prevent similar accidents.
• 🎶 Music and Narrative: The script is punctuated with music and narration that underscore the emotional gravity of Calais's story and the importance of safety.

Q & A

What was Calais Webber's interest before the accident?

Calais Webber was a 15-year-old student who loved school, especially chemistry, and worked as a model.

What year did the accident involving Calais Webber occur?

The accident involving Calais Webber occurred in 2006.

What was the experiment that led to Calais Webber's accident called?

The experiment was called the Rainbow Experiment, intended to demonstrate how different chemicals burn at different light frequencies.

What was the chemical used in the Rainbow Experiment?

Methanol was the chemical used in the Rainbow Experiment.

Why was the teacher's approach to the Rainbow Experiment unsafe?

The teacher performed the experiment on her desk without safety gear and used extra accelerants, which was unsafe.

What happened during the Rainbow Experiment that caused the explosion?

The teacher poured a gallon-sized jug of clear liquid, which was methanol, onto an open flame, causing an explosion.

How did Calais Webber get injured in the explosion?

Calais Webber was right in front of the experiment when it exploded, receiving the brunt of the blast.

How long was Calais Webber in the hospital after the accident?

Calais Webber was in the hospital for two and a half months.

What medical procedure was Calais Webber subjected to after the accident?

Calais Webber was put into a chemically induced coma for about a week.

What were the hallucinations Calais Webber experienced after coming out of the coma?

Calais Webber hallucinated about being on fire, the teacher, her school, and explosions everywhere for four days.

What safety measures should have been in place to prevent the accident, according to Calais Webber?

The experiment should have been performed in a hood, no extra accelerants should have been present, and all students should have been wearing safety gear.

What advice does Calais Webber give to students regarding safety in the lab?

Calais Webber advises students to speak up if they feel unsafe, to always question, and to read any information given on safety.

How does Calais Webber feel about her injury now?

Calais Webber has accepted her injury and is at a place in her life where she wouldn't wish it on anyone else.

Outlines

00:00

🧪 Chemistry Lab Accident: Calais Webber's Story

Calais Webber, a 15-year-old student with a passion for chemistry, shares her harrowing experience from a chemistry lab accident in 2006. The incident, known as the Rainbow Experiment, involved the burning of different chemicals to demonstrate various flame colors. The teacher, neglecting safety protocols, performed the experiment without safety gear and in an unsafe manner, leading to a catastrophic explosion. Webber was severely burned and spent over two months in the hospital, including a week in a chemically induced coma followed by hallucinations upon awakening. This tragic event underscored the importance of laboratory safety and led to the Chemical Safety Board's involvement in such issues. Webber emphasizes the need for safety gear, proper procedures, and the courage to question authority when safety is compromised.

Keywords

💡Methanol

Methanol is a light, volatile, and highly flammable liquid commonly used as a solvent, fuel, and antifreeze. In the script, it is mentioned as the chemical that caused Calais Webber's severe injuries during a chemistry lab demonstration. The incident highlights the importance of safety protocols in handling such substances.

💡Chemical Safety Board (CSB)

The Chemical Safety Board is an independent federal agency in the United States that investigates industrial chemical accidents and issues safety recommendations to prevent future incidents. The script mentions CSB's involvement in laboratory safety issues, which was prompted by experiences like Calais Webber's.

💡Rainbow Experiment

The Rainbow Experiment, as described in the script, is a demonstration designed to show how different chemicals burn at different light frequencies, resulting in flames of various colors. It is the experiment during which Calais Webber suffered her injuries, emphasizing the need for proper safety measures during such demonstrations.

💡Safety gear

Safety gear refers to protective equipment worn to prevent injury from hazardous materials or situations. In the script, the lack of safety gear contributed to the severity of Calais Webber's injuries. The incident underscores the necessity of wearing appropriate safety gear in a laboratory setting.

💡Chemically induced coma

A chemically induced coma is a medical state where a patient is sedated using medication to reduce brain activity, often used in cases of severe trauma or to manage pain and swelling. Calais Webber was placed in such a coma after her accident, illustrating the severity of her injuries and the extreme measures taken to treat them.

💡Hallucination

Hallucinations are sensory experiences that occur without an external stimulus, often associated with psychological trauma or medical conditions. Calais Webber experienced hallucinations after her accident, which included vivid images of being on fire, reflecting the profound impact of the event on her mental state.

💡Preventable accident

A preventable accident is one that could have been avoided with proper safety measures or procedures. The script indicates that Calais Webber's accident was preventable, had the experiment been conducted in a safety hood and without unnecessary accelerants, highlighting the importance of adherence to safety protocols.

💡Trust in authority

Trust in authority refers to the belief that those in positions of authority, such as teachers or professors, are acting in the best interest of their students. The script mentions that students often trust their teachers to ensure safety, but it also emphasizes the importance of questioning and speaking up when feeling unsafe.

💡Speak up

Speaking up means to express one's concerns or opinions, especially in situations where one feels unsafe or uncomfortable. Calais Webber encourages others to speak up if they feel unsafe, advocating for personal responsibility and proactive safety measures.

💡Accident victim

An accident victim is someone who has suffered harm or injury due to an unforeseen event. The script presents Calais Webber as a compelling accident victim, whose story serves to raise awareness about the importance of laboratory safety.

💡Laboratory safety

Laboratory safety refers to the measures and practices implemented to prevent accidents and ensure the well-being of individuals working with potentially hazardous materials. The script's focus on Calais Webber's experience underscores the critical nature of laboratory safety and the consequences of neglecting it.

Highlights

Calais Webber was a 15-year-old student with a passion for chemistry.

In 2006, a chemistry lab accident at her boarding school changed her life forever.

The Rainbow Experiment was intended to demonstrate how chemicals burn at different light frequencies.

Methanol was used as an accelerant in the experiment without students' knowledge.

The teacher performed the experiment on her desk instead of in a safety hood.

The experiment resulted in an explosion, with Calais suffering severe burns.

She was in the hospital for over two months, including a week in a chemically induced coma.

Calais experienced hallucinations for four days after coming out of the coma.

She emphasizes the preventable nature of the accident and the importance of safety protocols.

The Chemical Safety Board became involved in laboratory safety issues due to incidents like Calais'.

Safety gear should have been worn, and the experiment should have been conducted in a safety hood.

Calais encourages students to speak up if they feel unsafe in a lab setting.

She has accepted her injuries and does not wish her experience on anyone else.

The incident highlights the need for strict adherence to safety measures in educational settings.

The teacher's assurance of safety may have contributed to the lack of student concern prior to the accident.

Calais' story serves as a powerful reminder of the potential consequences of disregarding safety protocols.

The importance of questioning and understanding safety information is underscored by her experience.

Transcripts

[Music]

Webber: It is the molecular structure of methanol.

This was a choice I made to mark my skin myself and have it be my choice for the first time.

Narrator: At the Chemical Safety Board, we hear a lot of compelling stories from accident victims.

In 2006, Calais Webber was a 15 year old student at a prestigious boarding school in Ohio.

She worked as a model, she loved school, especially chemistry.

But her life changed forever one day in January, 2006, when she and other students showed up for chemistry lab.

It was actually her experience and others like hers that got the CSB involved in laboratory safety issues.

Webber: It was called the Rainbow Experiment.

It was meant to show how different chemicals burn at different light frequencies,

so the flames end up being different colors when you burn them.

And in the demonstration, she had it set up in little dishes, the chemical salts mixed with an accelerant.

And none of us knew at the time what it was. It turned out to be methanol.

She had told us that when she did demonstrations, we didn't need to wear our safety gear, so no aprons,

no goggles and she performed it on her desk at the front of the classroom, instead of one of the hoods.

Not even a couple minutes into the experiment, the red flame began to diminish a bit.

And in the sink there was a gallon-sized jug full of clear liquid.

And we didn't know if the students knew what it was,

but she took it out of the sink and uncapped it and said,

I'd better be careful or the bottle will explode.

And poured it onto the open flame and it exploded.

[sound of explosion] Webber: And because I was right in front, I got the brunt of it.

And I still don't know if the blast knocked me over or if I was trying to duck and fell over,

but I ended up on the ground.

And I remember thinking, I'm on fire; oh, my gosh, I'm on fire.

[Sound of flames]

Webber: I was in the hospital for two and a half months.

I was put into a chemically induced coma within the first couple days of being in the hospital

and I was put into that coma for about a week.

And when they brought me out of the coma, I hallucinated for four days.

I didn't sleep at all; I just hallucinated being on fire.

I hallucinated about the teacher, about my school and just explosions everywhere, all the time.

It feels like, with this type of injury, that you've had so much taken away from you unnecessarily.

And to keep reading about other people who've had very similar experiences,

it's just ... it's tragic and it, it shouldn't happen.

The experiment should have been performed in the hood, one of the hoods.

There shouldn't have been any extra accelerants at all in the classroom,

except the amount that was going to be used.

And we all should have been wearing safety gear.

Very nearly anything that could have been done wrong, was done wrong and it was definitely preventable.

Webber: When you're in the lab, oftentimes even if you're feeling slightly unsafe,

there's sort of an unspoken understanding that, no, no, it is safe; don't worry.

And you, you naturally want to put that trust in the teacher, the professor, but while it can seem daunting,

it's, it's perfectly OK to speak up if you're not feeling safe, to always question and,

and if you're given a piece of information on safety, read it.

While I wouldn't change what happened to me, in terms of my injury,

I'm at a place in my life where I have accepted it and I wouldn't change what happens.

If I could, just because of where I am now, I, I absolutely wouldn't wish it on anyone else.

[Music]