[Che-student-staff-list] Chemical spill and fire alarm activated on July 24

[Nagy, Gabriela]

Good morning, everyone,

As many of you are aware, we had a building evacuation on Tuesday, July 24, and I wanted to clarify the events that led to the fire alarm activation on that day. The fire alarm was activated not because of a fire in the building, but in response to a chemical spill in FRNY 3140  on the 3rd floor, new wing of FRNY. Please see below the details.

Incident description: Around 1:15 pm on July 24, an undergraduate researcher was preparing a standard reaction inside a glovebox in a 100 ml 3 neck flask. The reaction mixture contained small quantities (mL range) of ethanedithiol and propylamine, along with other chemicals. After connecting the condenser and thermocouple port to the 3-neck flask, the researcher tried to remove the assembly from the glovebox through the antechamber. Along with this assembly the researcher put a gallon size trash bag and a 40 mL vial inside the antechamber, to remove everything at the same time from the glovebox. While transferring the assembly from the antechamber to the fume hood, the researcher accidentally pulled off the clip that secures the connection between the condenser and the flask. This flask dropped on the floor and broke. Although some of the chemicals in the reaction mixture are toxic at high concentrations, the vapor concentrations released during the spill were believed to be below the toxic limit by orders of magnitude.  However, because of the thiol in the flask, the lab started to smell bad. As a note, thiols are very malodorous sulfur compounds detectable by the human nose at parts per billion concentration levels.

Immediate action taken: The occupants of the lab evacuated the lab immediately, using the door next to the fume food. Some of the thiol vapors escaped in the hallway, and the entire 3rd floor hallway stated to smell. Two researchers reentered the lab, and wearing respirators and appropriate personal protective equipment they cleaned up the spill. After decontaminating the area, signs were put on the doors of FRNY 3140 to not enter the lab without respirator (the sign did not mention why the need of a respirator). Because of miscommunication about the toxicity of the chemicals involved in the spill, researchers from other labs on 3rd floor were concerned about the spill. After 2 hours of this incident, around 3:30 pm, the fire alarm was activated on the 3rd floor and the fire department responded and further investigated FRNY 3140 for any spill and chemical release. The fire department provided clearance to enter the building within the next 15 minutes.

Actions taken to prevent future occurrences: The incident was discussed in a group meeting and an improved procedure to transfer assemblies to and from the glovebox was implemented; this includes the use of a mandatory secondary containment. Undergraduate researchers will have to have their reaction assembly checked by a graduate student before transferring it in or out of the glovebox.

Lessons learned:

1.       Lack of communication and miscommunication lead to rumors being spread in the building, distortion of information and panic. There is a need of better inter-lab and wider, fast communication within the School to communicate situations that are of concern to the occupants of the building, but not emergencies (e.g.: malodorous chemical spill or release that is not a health hazard, but is a discomfort to people and thus avoiding the area is recommended).

2.       In case of a highly hazardous chemical spill calling 911 and pulling the fire alarm is the first step. If in doubt about how hazardous the chemical is, it is always good to initiate the evacuation. It is better to be safe than sorry. PUFD is trained to respond to different incidents, including chemical spills. There is nothing wrong with PUFD coming out and making sure everything is OK.

3.       If you activate the fire alarm and have information about the incident, please stay close by the entrance to the building to provide information to the emergency responders.

4.       In case of emergencies which do not require building evacuation, immediate communication about the incident is necessary. Please send your notification to multiple people in the building who can distribute information to the School, not only to me (e.g.: Jeff Valley, etc.). The first available person who receives the notification can then communicate the emergency situation to the school, and make recommendations (e.g.: avoid the area).

I hope sharing the details of this incident will help prevent similar situations from happening in the future.

Thank you,
Gabriela
On behalf of the ChE Safety Committee

__________________
Gabriela Nagy, PhD
Industrial Education Director
Davidson School of Chemical Engineering
Room FRNY G041D
Purdue University
Tel: (765)-496-1710
E-mail: nagyg at purdue.edu<mailto:nagyg at purdue.edu>


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