BERKELEY — A 25-year-old graduate student was injured Tuesday in an explosion in a chemistry lab on the UC Berkeley campus, authorities said.
The woman was taken to a hospital for treatment of her injuries after the 3:30 p.m. explosion in Hildebrand Hall. It was not known if she was still hospitalized Wednesday.
Authorities said the woman was wearing safety glasses while she worked with nitrogen when an apparent over-pressurization occurred and caused a glass chamber to shatter and strike her in the face. It was not known if anyone else was in the lab at the time.
Some UC police officers in the area quickly responded and provided first aid until paramedics arrived and took the woman to a hospital, authorities said.
An avoid the area alert was issued following the explosion but it was lifted about an hour later.
Hildebrand Hall is the campus chemistry building and houses graduate research laboratories, under graduate teaching labs, and chemistry and chemical engineering libraries.
UC police and the university’s Office of Environment Health & Safety are investigating.
Check back for updates.