Decontamination ongoing after MIT student reports creating dimethyl mercury

Decontamination ongoing after MIT student reports creating dimethyl mercury. BrieAnna J.

Key points

• Dartmouth College professor Karen Wetterhahn died in 1997 after spilling "a few drops" of dimethyl mercury on her glove, according to the New Hampshire school.
• USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment problems is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.
• A Massachusetts Institute of Technology building was projected to remain closed at least through Aug.
• The school remarked the student was under medical supervision and that Building 18 remained closed as "specialized decontamination efforts continue out of an abundance of caution."
• This person was not publicly identified, self-reported to an emergency room and stated they had synthesized dimethyl mercury on Aug.

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In practice, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology building was projected to remain closed at least through Aug. 30 after a graduate student was remarked to have created an unauthorized, highly toxic chemical compound.

In practice, the school's Aug. 29 statement remarked the student. This person was not publicly identified, self-reported to an emergency room and stated they had synthesized dimethyl mercury on Aug. 26. Less than 0.1 milliliters of the compound is a "severely toxic dose, " according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Dartmouth College professor Karen Wetterhahn died in 1997 after spilling "a few drops" of dimethyl mercury on her glove, according to the New Hampshire school. She developed health challenges months after the spill that were discovered to be effects of acute mercury poisoning.

For context, the MIT student indicated no sign of mercury exposure in an initial blood test, the school stated. The Aug. 29 statement additionally stated updated information "calls into question" whether dimethyl mercury was synthesized.

Notably, the school remarked the student was under medical supervision and that Building 18 remained closed as "specialized decontamination efforts continue out of an abundance of caution."

High-touch surfaces in common areas of the student's residence hall were professionally cleaned, and decontamination of their individual unit was ongoing, MIT remarked. No restrictions were placed on the building.

Individuals who were near the student and affected workspace on Aug. 26 were offered baseline testing. Authorities believe there is "very low risk of secondary or tertiary exposures" and do not recommend testing for individuals who were not in the student's lab space that day, the school stated.

BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected].

USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment problems is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

For now, decontamination ongoing after MIT student reports creating dimethyl mercury remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.