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A container of nitric acid exploded in a laboratory fume hood in the Minerals and Materials Engineering Building at Michigan Tech Wednesday evening. One of the two students working in the lab received minor injuries. He was treated at UP Health-Portage and released. The other student was examined as a precautionary measure and released.
The explosion occurred at 8:35 p.m., as the students were disposing of outdated nitric acid. They had transferred it to a waste container and placed it in the fume hood, following proper procedure.
The building was evacuated as a precautionary measure, and the Houghton Fire Department, Houghton Police Department, Hancock Police Department and Houghton County Sheriff’s Office joined Michigan Tech Public Safety and Police Services to clean up the lab. Al Niemi, director of occupational safety and health services at Tech, gave the all-clear at 10:35 p.m., and the building was reopened.
