<i>I'm really glad I went to school in the 1970s</i><p>I was thinking the same thing (though more 80s than 70s for me). I was very interested in chemistry from 7th grade and up, and did a lot of home experiments including some more or less flammable stuff. This was at least in part encouraged by both my chemistry teacher and my parents and grandparents. Had this been today and in the US and the police had gone through <i>my</i> garage, it seems likely I would be in jail.<p>This stuff is extremely troubling to me. This hysterical overreaction will, as many have already pointed out, serve to completely discourage kids from nurturing their interest in science, and it makes me really, really hesitant about the prospect of raising kids in the US.