One Injured In Campus Chemical Spill

One person experienced minor symptoms and was transported to the hospital following a chemical spill on the UW-Madison campus.

Engine Company 4 and Medic 4 were dispatched to the Animal Sciences building on Observatory Drive. As the crew was led to a 10th floor laboratory where the spill occurred, one EMT stayed outside with the patient to begin medical evaluation until paramedics arrived. The patient reported experiencing eye irritation after a bottle containing chloroform/methanol was dropped on the floor.

The lab manager assured firefighters that the scene was no longer hazardous, but the crew proceeded to the lab donning personal protection equipment as a precaution. Among the shards of broken glass, the crew found a crystalline residue left behind by the chemicals, which had already evaporated.

Two UW chemical safety specialists quickly arrived to the lab to take over cleanup duties. They offered further assurance that there was no danger to occupants.

Firefighters retrieved the patient’s belongings and took them to the hospital. The MFD Hazardous Incident Team was briefed on the incident but was not activated.