Acid Spill at Mason
Staff Writer Joshua St. Louis

The Environmental Health and Safety Office has released new information on the chemical spill that occurred in Science and Technology I after reviewing the response that was taken. On Nov. 15, S&T I was closed for a brief period due to an acid spill on the fourth floor.

“At approximately 8:15 p.m., a professor was in a laboratory on the fourth floor of S&T I preparing to transfer a bottle containing approximately 200 milliliters of a mixture of sulfuric acid and water from a bench top inside the laboratory to the chemical fume hood,” a report on the incident released by the George Mason Environmental Health and Safety Office says. “The bottle bumped the outside lip of the chemical fume hood as he was lifting it into the hood, at which time the bottle shattered and the professor cut his hand.”

The professor then helped a graduate student apply baking soda to the acid on the floor to neutralize it. A second graduate student contacted the Mason Police and informed them that a chemical spill had occurred. The professor was taken to the hospital in a personal vehicle. Neither graduate student was injured, though one removed his shoes, as he initially thought he might have stepped in the area where the spill occurred.

“Once the University Police were called, the Mason police dispatcher followed standard protocol and dispatched an officer to the scene and immediately notified Fairfax City Fire and Rescue,” the report says. “When University Police responded to the scene, they activated the fire alarm to facilitate the quick evacuation of the building.”

S&T I was the only building evacuated during the event.

The Fairfax County Hazardous Materials team took over the chemical investigation and applied additional neutralizing agents to the acid. An EHS representative served in a support capacity to the fire officials on the scene. After the situation was determined to be stable, the team turned the area over to Mason to perform a standard chemical spill cleanup, with EHS cleaning up the neutralized acid spill. The building soon reopened, however, the fourth floor remained closed throughout the night to prevent further contamination. The following day, classes met as scheduled.

“I am really pleased with how we responded to the incident,” said Julie Zobel, the Executive Director of Environmental Health and Safety. “This professor was very knowledgeable and acted exactly how he should have.”

The report released by the EHS Office, also praised the university’s response. “Upon review, the university response went according to plan,” says the report. “Lab personnel, police, EHS staff, and media relations staff acted appropriately as trained and as protocols called for.”