UConn Classes will be back in session on Thursday after a leaking cylinder prompted evacuations on Wednesday.
The Torrey Life Sciences and Pharmacy/Biology buildings were evacuated.
Two students had to be taken to the hospital Wednesday for treatment and evaluation after a lab accident.
UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said the students mistakenly poured acetone into a receptacle that already contained a different chemical. The resulting chemical reaction caused irritation to their eyes, and both students followed procedure and went out of the lab to use the decontamination shower.
The UConn fire department arrived and sealed off the fourth floor of the ITE Building and two classrooms on the third floor. They transported the students to Windham Hospital where they were evaluated and released. Other students who had walked through the puddles of the decontamination shower had their footwear cleaned of any resulting residue.
Later in the day on Wednesday, UConn sent an alert to students that the Torrey Life Sciences Building and the Pharmacy/Biology Building at the Storrs campus were evacuated until further notice.
“The UConn Fire Department is working with a vendor to contain a leak in a helium cylinder,” according to UConn.
The two incidents appeared to be unrelated.
