Building 18 closed after possible dimethylmercury contamination
One individual claimed they synthesized, and were potentially exposed to, the toxic substance
Boheng Cao–The Tech
Around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26, MIT Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS), the Cambridge Fire Department, and Pro EMS responded to a report of dimethylmercury exposure in Building 18, home to the Department of Chemistry. As of the time of publication, the building remains closed for decontamination efforts, but the Institute believes the risk for further exposure is “very low.”
According to the Institute’s official emergency response, a graduate student working in Building 18 “self-reported to a local emergency room and claimed to have synthesized dimethyl mercury.” While the student is still being medically supervised, their initial blood test, received on Aug. 29, “shows no sign of exposure to mercury.”
“Emerging information calls into question whether [dimethylmercury] was in fact synthesized,” the notice adds.
Dimethylmercury is an extremely toxic substance, and exposure to low amounts of it — for instance, through inhalation or skin absorption — is known to be fatal if left untreated. In 1997, Karen Wetterhahn, a professor of chemistry at Dartmouth College, died of mercury poisoning ten months after two drops of the substance permeated her latex gloves.
In an email to the chemistry department, professor and department head Matthew Shoulders wrote, “MIT does not allow the purchase or synthesis of dimethylmercury.”
Immediately after the report, EHS shut down the second floor of Building 18, where the incident occurred in the Wendlandt Lab. According to police records, the individual returned to his suite at Ashdown House following the incident, but was soon sent to the hospital. Given the potential contamination, MIT Police quarantined his room that night.
Overnight, hazardous waste management firm Triumvirate Environmental wiped down surfaces and safely disposed of items that were potentially contaminated. The following day, on Aug. 27, the Institute shut down all of Building 18 to eliminate any possible remaining contaminants. Around 11 a.m., those within the chemistry department received an email that recommended surveillance testing to anyone who entered the lab the previous day, and MIT Health also offered testing to any individual who “spent more than a few minutes yesterday inside common rooms of the second and fifth floor of Building 18.”
Currently, decontamination efforts are still ongoing throughout Building 18 and the graduate student’s living quarters. While Building 18 remains closed, Ashdown House is operating normally, with no restrictions having been placed on the residence building.
This is a developing story and may be updated.