Chemical disposal goes smoothly

he post-semester silence across campus was interrupted by two small explosions just before noon on Dec. 22 as campus, local and state public safety personnel successfully detonated two "highly reactive" chemicals removed from a Chemistry Department lab on the 13th floor of the Lederle Graduate Research Center.

     The disposal operation, which was coordinated by Environmental Health and Safety's Jim Field and Jim Fox, involved the UMass Police, Amherst Fire Department, State Police and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), according to Don Robinson, director of EH&S.

     After Lederle was cleared, the air-sensitive chemical compounds were placed in munitions boxes and transported to a remote campus parking lot, where the substances were blown up by the State Police bomb squad. Overhead, a State Police helicopter provided a live video feed to the UMass Police station. MEMA provided an emergency communication system, said Robinson.

     "The detonation blast was very noticeable and was heard some distance away," Robinson said. "I cannot overstate how proud I am of my staff for their total dedication to this most difficult task."

     After the detonation, EH&S staff checked the blast area and declared it safe for public use. The entire operation took just under four hours to complete.