Small Explosion Reported at Penn State Research Lab; No One Hurt

The Materials Research Laboratory building at Penn State University Park was evacuated late this morning after a small chemical explosion inside, university spokeswoman Lisa Powers confirmed.

It happened about 11:30 a.m. in a laboratory room, Powers wrote in an e-mail message. She indicated that no one was in the lab at the time and that no one was hurt. The building is located on Hastings Road just east of University Drive.

No fire was reported, either, and clean-up has begun, Powers wrote. She added that damages inside the lab are considered minor.

A Hazmat team and other emergency responders arrived at the scene, and Hastings Road was closed off while the affected lab was evaluated, Powers reported.

She noted that two bottles of chemicals were involved in the explosion: one a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acids, the other a mixture of ethylene glycol and ammonium chloride.

‘As is our standard practice, we will be working with the researcher (who runs the lab) to determine what caused the explosion,’ Powers wrote.

The building and the roadway were reopened by 1:30 p.m.