Laboratory Explosion Produces New Safety Enforcement Rules

Last week's laboratory explosion has brought about rigid enforcement of the rule requiring Chemistry 20 students to have eye protection whenever working in the lab, it was announced yesterday.

Meanwhile, Charles I. Maidanick '56, who was seriously injured in Friday's accident, is reported in good condition at Massachusetts General Hospital. He still has a piece of glass lodged in the cornea of his left eye, however, and can do no more with that organ than detect light and darkness.

Two other students who were affected by the blast have now completely recovered.

Jay K. Kochi, laboratory director for Chem 20, said yesterday that regular eyeglasses or goggles have always been required in the course, but that the rule had often been neglected. Since last week, however, section men are refusing lab admissions to students without eye protection.

The experiment on which Maidanick was working when the Mallinckrodt explosion occurred was the preparation of a sulfoxide--a special project not previously performed in the course, According to Kochi it was considered "quite an ordinary preparation," however, and had never been reported as dangerous.

Edwin F. Ullman, Maidanick's section instructor, is now investigating the reaction in order to discover what caused the explosion.

Kochi was working in his office adjoining the lab when the accident occurred. His first reaction when he heard the noise, he says, was simply to run out and see what caused it. The blast completely demolished the beaker with which Maidanick was working and slightly injured the two other students who were standing nearby, but it caused no damage to the lab itself.

"Such an accident is "one of the hazards of chemistry," Kochi said. The explosion involved no violation of the rules on the part of the injured students, he added.

Besides Maidanick, the two injured were Albert J. McLaughlin, Jr. '55 and Peter A. Mattson '56. McLaughlin, suffering from cuts on the neck and back which resulted from flying glass, was hospitalized but discharged.

Mattson was deaf in one ear for more than 24 hours after the explosion, but refused hospitalization.