All articles tagged with #lab safety
An MIT graduate student allegedly synthesized dimethyl mercury, a highly toxic compound, triggering a major hazmat response, the closure of Building 18, and a lab safety investigation, though initial tests show no mercury exposure.
AI-enabled biotech advances are driving a convergence that could raise the risk of a lethal, human-made pathogen—accidentally or intentionally—even as some call for stronger guardrails and biodefense improvements; more labs and easier experimentation may increase the chance of mishaps, fueling debate over risk versus potential medical breakthroughs.
A college microbiology lab exercise led students to misidentify a harmless bacterium as Neisseria meningitidis, triggering post-exposure antibiotics for 33 people after a freezer mix-up; later tests confirmed the germ was nonpathogenic Neisseria sicca, prompting an overhaul of inventory, labeling, and handling protocols to prevent future mix-ups. Two students even underwent lumbar punctures during the scare, but no meningococcal infection occurred.
A 41-year-old UW-Madison Influenza Research Institute employee, Makoto Kuroda, is charged with second-degree recklessly endangering safety and tampering with household products after allegedly poisoning a coworker with paraformaldehyde and Trizol taken from his lab fridge; he reportedly texted he had done it, cited a promotion dispute as motive, is in custody on a $5,000 bond, banned from campus labs, and his court appearance is upcoming.