In response to an accidental chemical spill Wednesday afternoon, 30 fire fighters in seven emergency vehicles blocked off part of Presidents Circle, evacuated everyone from the Talmage Building and secured the area.
Officials have received no reports of injuries from the nine students who were in the biology lab, but six left the scene before medical crews could examine them.
Sean Pyper, a teaching assistant for the Nucleic Acids Biochemistry Lab, accidently broke a container that held 400 ml of glyoxal, a DNA inhibiter, which then hit the hot plate it sat on and evaporated.
Glyoxal is an irritant when it comes into contact with the human body, whether touched or inhaled.
?This chemical is not even in our HAZMAT books,? said Scott Freitag, public information officer for the Salt Lake City Fire Department.
Without a strong grasp on the seriousness of the situation, the SLCFD took all precautions they could when clearing the area and cleaning the spill.
Medics examined three students, all of whom said they felt no discomfort, but Freitag said the fire department does not know how long it would take for any symptoms to arise.
?We are concerned about the other six who did leave. If you are one of the six, or know one of the six, please go to University Hospital to be evaluated,? he said.
Researchers use glyoxal, a reddish-brown liquid, to break double-strand DNA into single strands. The students were using the substance in an experiment aimed at showing how environmental pollutants can damage DNA. The students did not use glyoxal as the agent to damage the DNA, only to split the strands.
?We consider this to be a level 4 hazardous spill?very extreme. This could affect a person?s DNA,? Freitag said.
The Materials Safety Data Sheet does not mention that glyoxal could possibly damage DNA, though it refers to the chemical as ?mildly toxic by ingestion and skin contact.?
?It will give you a rash,? Pyper said. ?But nobody touched it and everyone left when it leaked, so everyone is fine.?
Glyoxal is a commonly used substance in University of Utah biology labs. Pyper followed protocol when using latex gloves to handle the chemical.
He needed to liquify the chemical, which was in crystal form, so he used a hot plate to melt it down. While trying to stir the crystals with a metal spatula, Pyper accidentally cracked the container. David Blair, associate professor of biology who teaches the course, was home sick at the time.
Pyper said he could smell the chemical, but told medics he felt no irritation.
A student called the U Police Department directly after the spill around 2:20 p.m. UUPD then contacted the fire department?s hazardous materials unit.
Dressed in protective gear, the crews went to the second story lab to clean the spill. The U reopened the building at 4:15 p.m.