Investigation into Schweitzer Hall explosion completed

The last lab accident at MU occurred in November 2009.

By Allison Prang

Published July 9, 2010

The investigation by campus officials into the explosion in Schweitzer Hall on June 28 has been completed, according to an MU news release.

The news release stated there were two main factors that contributed to the June 28 explosion -- the valve of the hydrogen cylinder was unintentionally left open and researchers were using a T-connection without a toggle switch, allowing hydrogen and nitrogen to enter the anaerobic chamber simultaneously.

“We have determined that this was accidental,” Columbia Fire Department Battalion Chief Steven Sapp said. “There were several things in the tank that could have sparked it, but we were not able to determine exactly what sparked the hydrogen.”

According to a CFD news release, officials could not determine what substance was ignited within the chamber, but it is believed to have been either a heater, fan or catalyst material, which generates heat.

The experiment was part of research conducted by professor Judy Wall and a team of researchers, studying anaerobic bacteria.

“Dr. Wall was not in the lab at the time of the explosion,” MU spokesman Christian Basi said. “We have not been able to determine an individual who was responsible because there are many steps in the procedure before the hydrogen is added.”

Although Wall said there was a mistake made in the experiment which lead to the explosion, she said it is not “terribly unusual” for occurrences like this to happen in this branch of fieldwork.

“Everyone is recovering and expected to be fine,” Wall said. “We are trying to get back to ‘normal’ as soon as possible and my chairman has been quite generous in helping me find new lab space. Everyone at the university has been very generous and understanding through this process.”

MU officials have gathered safety tips from the investigation of the explosion to prevent future similar occurrences from happening. Researchers performing experiments are asked to check gaslines for leaks, avoid using T-connections and provide refresher training sessions for employees in the labs, among a variety of other suggestions.

MU’s last lab accident occurred in November 2009, where phosphorous-32, a radioactive isotope spilled onto a research student’s shoes, and was then tracked throughout the building and outside.

“I don’t think you can compare the two,” Basi said. “There are different ramifications in each incident. That’s why we are very, very fortunate to have a team on campus that is trained to handle these types of incidents.”

According to Missouri’s Kansas City Bureau for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, there are no specific safety regulations established for Missouri research universities regarding lab safety.

Michael Russell, KU Department of Environmental Health and Safety director, said MU and KU, among other universities, have very similar lab policies and regulations in place to ensure researchers’ safety.

Russell also said although KU has not recently experienced any lab explosions, last fall a graduate student who was not correctly following lab safety procedures was exposed to sodium azide. The chemical was ingested by the student, resulting in sickness.

Wall said she and her researchers are temporarily working in a lab on the first floor of Schweitzer Hall.

“It’s going to be quite some time before the lab is rebuilt because the damage was quite significant, and they are going to rebuild the entire lab,” Basi said.

Basi said some repairs in the lab could still be going on come August, and there is no specific time frame for completion.

-- News editor Wes Duplantier contributed to this report.