A Georgia Tech student was injured Friday after an explosion in one of the school’s labs.
A school spokesperson said the student was treated for minor burns and was OK by Saturday morning.
The 911 call came in around 1:30 p.m., reporting the explosion in the Molecular Science and Engineering building at 901 Atlantic Drive. Rodriguez said the explosion was isolated to a single lab in the building near the BioQuad.
A graduate student was in a lab working with sodium metal inside a fume hood when water and rapid heating caused a small explosion inside the hood, according to school officials.
Sodium is an alkali metal that reacts with water, and it can be ignited when heated or when it comes into contact with moisture.
The lab was not damaged and spokesperson Blair Meeks said safety equipment worked properly. The student was also said to be wearing a lab coat, gloves and safety glasses.
Several people who work in the building were evacuated as a precaution but were returning to their offices by 2:45 p.m.
“Environmental Health and Safety experts are on scene with fire and police resources to ensure campus safety,” spokesperson Siobhan Rodriguez said Friday.
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