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Itching Powder Prank at Brooklyn School Summons Hazmat Unit!
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 24, 2009
Modified Apr 24, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 24, 2009
Modified Apr 24, 2009
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The city's Department of Environmental Protection dispatched a Hazmat unit to an elementary school in East New York after unidentified students sprinkled novelty itching powder on at least two teachers' chairs. Some students were also affected; everyone who reported itching had to take decontamination showers, and the two teachers were taken to the hospital as a precaution. One victim tells the Daily News, "When I sat down, I could feel it through my pants. It was very itchy. It got intense. When it became uncontrollable, I had to stop what I was doing... It stopped me in my tracks." Mission accomplished from the pranksters' point of view, but one teacher isn't savoring the gag: "Somebody could have killed me. I feel it personally, because I have so many allergies." And a fifth grader reports, "My friend Emiliano was itching a lot. He felt bad. He scratched and scratched. I was glad I did not get any on me." The powder, which looked like tiny, prickly hairs, was deemed nonhazardous by the DEP, but a potentially devastating Whoopee Cushion explosion is still under investigation.
Tagged
brooklyn
east new york
hospital
itching powder
teachers
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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