Student in stable condition after explosive reaction in Chevron Hall

By Pitt News Staff

An uncontrolled chemical reaction injured one person in Chevron Hall this morning, prompting… An uncontrolled chemical reaction injured one person in Chevron Hall this morning, prompting emergency personnel to evacuate the building and begin a chemical spill cleanup.

The 30-year-old graduate student was transported to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital with burns to his face, chest and arms, said Tim Delaney, Pitt’s police chief. He is in stable condition, and police have not released his name.

Delaney said that the student was working on the 11th floor when a beaker of mercury perchlorate hydrate broke while the student was under a fume hood. Emergency responders will clean the 10th, 11th and 12th floors as a precaution.

Pitt spokesman John Fedele said that the reaction caused no damage to the building.

Pitt police and the Pittsburgh fire bureau responded just after 10 a.m. and blocked traffic on a portion of Parkman Avenue next to Chevron Hall. Construction continued on the Chevron Hall annex during the incident.

Shortly after 11 a.m., the fire department allowed people back into the building.