Nitric Acid Spill Caused UMD Chemical Explosion

UMD Police Chief Sean Huls (left) and Fire Chief Shawn Kirzaj (right) speak to reporters at a press conference outside Voss-Kovach Hall on Thursday afternoon. Photo by Seth Roeser

The chemical explosion that occurred in Voss-Kovach Hall at the University of Minnesota Duluth on Sept. 12 was the result of a nitric acid spill, according to UMD officials. This was previously confirmed to The Bark by a student working in proximity to the explosion. 

Liam Gaeuman was working in the Hill Research Lab in the Voss-Kovach Hall basement around 9:15 a.m. when the explosion occurred in a mechanical engineering lab next to his. He walked out into the hall and saw a graduate student who was involved in the explosion. 

“You should get out of here,” the graduate student told Gaeuman.

“You could smell it in the air. I definitely inhaled some of it,” Gaeuman said. “So I came upstairs, I went to the [Mechanical Engineering] office and told Olivia [Mesedahl], ‘Hey, there was an accident downstairs’...then police came in.” 

Gaeuman told The Bark the explosion was a result of research with 70% nitric acid, though the exact concentration has not been confirmed by officials. 

Nitric acid is a colorless fluid that can give off yellow or red fumes. According to the National Institute of Health, nitric acid fumes “may cause immediate irritation of the respiratory tract, pain, and dyspnea, which are followed by a period of recovery that may last several weeks.” While nitric acid is noncombustible, it does act as a strong oxidizer. 

It is unclear what caused the initial reaction with the nitric acid. The university will launch an internal investigation in the coming days to determine what exactly occurred and how to prevent similar incidents in the future. 

UMD Public Relations stated the graduate student involved was taken by personal vehicle to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. He has since been released. 

At 9:20 a.m., police received a 911 call for a lab incident. Both UMD Police and Duluth Fire-Rescue, as well as Mayo Clinic Ambulances, responded. 

“Once we arrived on scene, we assessed the situation and quickly surmised that the best responder would be the Duluth Fire Hazmat team” said UMD Police Chief Sean Huls at a press conference Thursday afternoon. 

At the same press conference, Fire Chief Shawn Krizaj said the department was initially unsure of what chemicals were involved. 

“We sent multiple entry teams in with a hazmat response to identify exactly what we are working with and then neutralize the chemical hazard,” Chief Krizaj said. “Once we did that, it was really important for us to isolate this to the building.” 

The UMD SAFE-U alert system sent out a notification at 9:59 a.m., telling students and faculty to evacuate Voss-Kovach Hall. A second notification was sent at 10:33 a.m., ordering the evacuation of the Endazhi gikinoo’amaading building and the Engineering building. While not included in the SAFE-U alert, the fire alarm in the Civil Engineering building also went off. 

Students in at least one class in Voss-Kovach Hall were asked to leave all their belongings, including cell phones, and work on an assignment somewhere else. Multiple students could be seen working outside on clipboards. 

Andrew Kimball – a representative of the Department of Environmental Health and Safety for the University of Minnesota – reported that pictures he saw of the scene showed that damage to the lab was contained to a flammable cabinet. 

By 3:00 p.m., officials were beginning to leave the scene. At 3:54 p.m., UMD announced via SAFE-U that the building was safe to enter.

“The University is grateful for the support and prompt response from our partners and appreciates the concern of the community. We prepare for these types of incidents on a continuous basis, as the health and safety of our campus community is a top priority.”

The university also mentioned that resources were available for those who need it. 

“We recognize that incidents like this can impact people in different ways. Students, faculty, or staff seeking support can contact a trusted staff or faculty member, or Counseling Services (for students), or the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) (for faculty and staff) for confidential professional consultation and referral services.”