MIT Campus Police, the MIT Environment, Health and Safety Office and the Cambridge Fire Department evacuated Building E25 following a chemical spill around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25. There were no injuries, and no significant medical effects were reported. There was a bad odor.
The chemical, acrylic acid, is a colorless, corrosive liquid; it is neither a carcinogen nor considered allergenic. The spill occurred when a 1-gallon glass container of the acid slipped off a cart and broke on a third-floor hallway of E25.
Hazardous materials teams from EHS and the Cambridge Fire Department evacuated the building and monitored the initial cleanup of the spill. Occupants returned to their offices during the afternoon.
Anyone with medical questions should contact Occupational Medicine at MIT Medical 617-253-8552.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on June 1, 2005 (download PDF).
