A University of Toronto medical research building on College Street was evacuated on Tuesday morning after a potentially explosive chemical was found in the lab by a technician. The MaRS Centre was evacuated for approximately an hour as a clean-up crew worked together to stabilize the harmful chemical spill.
The area between University Avenue and Elizabeth Street on College was closed to traffic starting slightly after 10 AM when a lab technician noticed a small bottle of picric acid had crystallized. The chemical is often used in tissue sample research and poses no danger in its liquid form. When dry it can explode if moved.
Christopher Paige, the Vice-President of Research at the University Health Network, told the CBC the evacuation was a precaution.”We’re pleased that the process was followed once we found that there was a potential danger. But obviously we now have to understand how that happened in the first place.” An internal investigation that will be released early next week will examine how the chemical was allowed to crystallize.
