Investigation of last week’s gas leak completed
Aarhus University has completed the investigation into what preceded a minor leak of foul-smelling gas in a laboratory on Hangøvej in Aarhus.
On Monday, 24 March, an alarm was raised from a laboratory at the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering on Hangøvej 2 in Aarhus. An experiment in the laboratory, where chemicals were mixed, developed a gas with an unpleasant odour.
The laboratory was immediately evacuated, and the fire brigade, ambulances, and police arrived, cordoned off the area, and attended to everyone who had been present in the laboratory.
Following the incident, staff from the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering investigated what led to the gas development. All installations in the laboratory have been examined, and no faults were found in the ventilation system or fume cupboards. The protocol describing how the experiment should be conducted was followed according to the instructions. It has been checked and is correct.
It cannot be ruled out that there was a minor impurity in the chemicals used during the experiment. Since only very small amounts of the substances in question are needed for foul-smelling gas to develop, even a small impurity could have led to the incident. The most likely scenario is that this caused the incident on Monday.
All chemicals in the laboratory have been discarded, and the laboratory has been thoroughly cleaned. There has been a debriefing of the involved staff and students. The instructor who felt unwell during the situation is now fine.
All students and staff followed the department’s safety procedures during the alarm and evacuation and in cooperation with the authorities.
When an alarm is raised, it is the police's assessment that ambulances and fire engines are sent to the scene for safety reasons, and that the surrounding roads are cordoned off. This is a precaution to ensure that the emergency services can handle the situation they are responding to.
If any of the involved staff or students need to discuss the situation again, the head of the department's Working Environment Committee, Morten Dam Rasmussen, is available.
Contact
Lars Ditlev Mørck Ottosen, Head of Department, Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Aarhus University Tel: 51 37 16 71, ldmo@bce.au.dk
Niels Olsen, Team Leader of Communication, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University Tel: 29691291, niol@au.dk