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Chemical spill injures two grad students working in lab
Two hospitalized after accident Wednesday night
Issue date: 3/6/08
Graduate students Heejin Kim and Yuqi Lee were injured yesterday evening after a lab accident in the New Chemistry Building resulted in the production of a harmful acid.
Hopkins security responded to the situation before Baltimore firefighters and hazardous material experts arrived on the scene.
"The reaction was not what was expected. The result of the reaction occurring in an unexpected way led to a small amount of acid being spilled on the lab floor," University spokesman Dennis O'Shea said.
A representative from Sinai Hospital said there was no record of Kim being admitted.
Lee was discharged from the emergency room later that evening, but the hospital would not comment on the extent of her injuries.
O'Shea did not know which acid had been created in the accident.
He said that transportation to the hospital was done merely as a precaution, but had not been updated on their conditions.
Chemistry student Li and Applied Mathematics and Statistics student Kim were in room 227, a lab located on the second floor of the New Chemistry Building, when the accident occurred.
In the wake of this accident, the University may reconsider its lab safety policies.
"I think any accident is a time to reconsider protocol and if you are doing the right thing," O'Shea said.
He added that the fire department complemented security's reaction to the spill.
"The fire department spokesperson on the scene that the University had done an excellent job," he said.
Security is responsible for responding to the incident, securing the scene and awaiting the arrival of firefighters and hazardous material teams.
"Essentially once the fire department arrives [security] gives up control of the scene," O'Shea said.
A spokesperson for the fire department could not be reached late Wednesday night.
Fire department spokesman Roman Clark told the Associated Press that three drops of acid were spilled on the floor but were neutralized by their hazardous materials team.
Maryland Hall was evacuated on Feb. 19 after a container of acid was spilled. Baltimore City firefighters and hazardous material crews responded and cleaned the spill.
Maryland Hall is home to the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department, as well as the Department of the Materials Science and Engineering.
Hopkins security responded to the situation before Baltimore firefighters and hazardous material experts arrived on the scene.
"The reaction was not what was expected. The result of the reaction occurring in an unexpected way led to a small amount of acid being spilled on the lab floor," University spokesman Dennis O'Shea said.
A representative from Sinai Hospital said there was no record of Kim being admitted.
Lee was discharged from the emergency room later that evening, but the hospital would not comment on the extent of her injuries.
O'Shea did not know which acid had been created in the accident.
He said that transportation to the hospital was done merely as a precaution, but had not been updated on their conditions.
Chemistry student Li and Applied Mathematics and Statistics student Kim were in room 227, a lab located on the second floor of the New Chemistry Building, when the accident occurred.
In the wake of this accident, the University may reconsider its lab safety policies.
"I think any accident is a time to reconsider protocol and if you are doing the right thing," O'Shea said.
He added that the fire department complemented security's reaction to the spill.
"The fire department spokesperson on the scene that the University had done an excellent job," he said.
Security is responsible for responding to the incident, securing the scene and awaiting the arrival of firefighters and hazardous material teams.
"Essentially once the fire department arrives [security] gives up control of the scene," O'Shea said.
A spokesperson for the fire department could not be reached late Wednesday night.
Fire department spokesman Roman Clark told the Associated Press that three drops of acid were spilled on the floor but were neutralized by their hazardous materials team.
Maryland Hall was evacuated on Feb. 19 after a container of acid was spilled. Baltimore City firefighters and hazardous material crews responded and cleaned the spill.
Maryland Hall is home to the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department, as well as the Department of the Materials Science and Engineering.
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TL
posted 3/08/08 @ 10:55 AM EST
The last sentence is written in a way that implies that the 'acid' spill occurred in a ChemBE lab which is not the case. MSE and ChemBE pretty much share the building equally, but the wording seems to treat MSE as an afterthought. (Continued…)
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