A reported claim by an MIT graduate student that he had produced one of the world’s most dangerous chemicals triggered a major hazardous materials response last week and forced the shutdown of the campus lab where the work allegedly occurred.
The student, whose name has not been released, went to a local emergency room and said he had synthesized dimethyl mercury, an extremely poisonous compound that can be deadly to humans even in tiny quantities, according to NBC Boston.
MIT officials said the student did not have authorization to handle the substance, and the compound was not connected to his approved research.
On Wednesday, the university shut down Building 18, where the alleged experiment took place, and brought in city emergency crews to assist with the cleanup and safety response.
As an added precaution, shared areas of the student’s residence hall were professionally cleaned, while the student’s own room was sealed off.
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Building 18 remained closed through Sunday while testing continued and officials worked to determine exactly what happened.
“Emerging information calls into question whether this compound was in fact synthesized,” an MIT spokesperson said Saturday.
“We are also able to disclose, with the student’s permission, that while the student remains under medical supervision, their initial blood test result, which was received today, shows no sign of exposure to mercury,” the spokesperson added.
Dimethyl mercury can pose “a serious environmental and health hazard,” according to studies in the EPA’s Health Environmental Research Online database.
It was previously responsible for the death of Dartmouth College chemistry professor Karen Wetterhahn in 1997 after she got just one to two drops on her hand while wearing gloves.
It was also used in the assassination of a German labor union boss in 2012.
