Chemical Spill Shuts Down HMS Building

A strong, abnormal smell emanating from a smoldering refrigerator yesterday morning alerted occupants of a building at the Harvard Medical School (HMS) to a chemical spill that forced the complete evacuation of the laboratory.

Faulty shelving within the refrigerator at the Seely G. Mudd Building broke sometime early yesterday morning, shattering small bottles filled with different, unidentified chemicals, allowing a number of them to mix, according to a police report. Only seven people were in the building when the spill was discovered, and none were injured.

"Because the spill occurred in a refrigerator, it was difficult to see what chemicals were involved," said Peta Gillyatt, a spokesperson for HMS.

Similar incidents have occurred twice at Harvard in the last six months. In early October, a toxic spill forced the evacuation of the Mallinckrodt chemistry building, and an explosion in May at Converse Hall sent three students to the hospital.

The doctor in charge of the fourth-floor laboratory where the refrigerator was located placed a call to the Boston Fire Department at 8:41 a.m. By 9:30 a.m., the fire department had evacuated the building.

Those inside the building at the time of the spill were advised to shower and report to nearby Brigham and Women's Hospital for a basic examination as a precautionary measure.

"None of the people who were in the building complained of any unusual symptoms, and there were no injuries," Gillyatt said. "Everyone was allowed back into the building around noon, although the lab where the spill occurred is still off-limits," she said.

Multiple emergency teams were called in to help evacuate the building, identify the chemicals and clean up the spill, including Harvard Environmental Heath and Safety Department, the Harvard University Police Department, the Boston Fire Department, a hazardous materials unit and Clean Harbors, a company specializing in toxic spill clean-up.

"I came to work this morning to find the building closed off. There were Haz-Mat [the hazardous materials unit], fire people and HUPD outside," said a medical researcher at the Mudd Building.

"No one was panicking, but we were told that a spill had occurred," he added.

A lab technician who arrived for work around 10:50 a.m. said, "From the outside, it looked kind of serious. There were a lot of emergency people around."

"We just waited outside in the court-yard until we were allowed back," she said.

The exact composition of the chemical spill was still under investigation as of last night

"No one was panicking, but we were told that a spill had occurred," he added.

A lab technician who arrived for work around 10:50 a.m. said, "From the outside, it looked kind of serious. There were a lot of emergency people around."

"We just waited outside in the court-yard until we were allowed back," she said.

The exact composition of the chemical spill was still under investigation as of last night