A hazardous materials crew, police officers, ambulances and fire trucks responded to a chemical spill in a UW-Madison biochemistry laboratory after a graduate student spilled a highly flammable solvent, injuring one person.
According to a graduate student in the Biochemistry building, the student spilled about 40 liters of tetrahydrofuran (THF), a chemical that can dissolve a wide range of materials including latex gloves, flooring and other plastics, in the Ronald Raines laboratory between 10:15 and 10:45 a.m.
The graduate student, who wished to remain anonymous, said they received e-mails detailing the accident. According to the e-mails, a student was "reaching for a single, large bottle of THF when the shelf of multiple glass bottles crashed down."
The person injured in the laboratory suffered a minor cut.
