A Massachusetts Institute of Technology student triggered a large-scale hazmat response and the closure of a campus laboratory after claiming to have synthesized one of the world's most potent chemicals. The incident unfolded last week when the unidentified graduate student sought medical attention, reporting the synthesis of dimethyl mercury.
Dimethyl mercury is a highly toxic compound that can be lethal even in minute quantities. According to school officials, the student was not authorized to work with the substance, and it was unrelated to his research.
MIT officials closed the Camille Edouard Dreyfus Chemistry Building, also known as Building 18, on Wednesday and engaged emergency responders for cleanup operations. As a precautionary measure, common areas in the student's residence hall were also professionally cleaned, and his room was sealed off. Building 18 remained inaccessible through Sunday as investigations and testing proceeded.
However, emerging information has raised questions about whether the compound was actually synthesized. An MIT spokesperson stated on Saturday, "Emerging information calls into question whether this compound was in fact synthesized." The spokesperson also confirmed that the student, while under medical supervision, had an initial blood test that showed no signs of mercury exposure, a detail shared with the student's permission.
Dimethyl mercury is recognized as a significant environmental and health hazard. Its extreme toxicity was tragically demonstrated in 1997 when Dartmouth College chemistry professor Karen Wetterhahn died after a small amount came into contact with her hand, even while she was wearing gloves. The compound was also reportedly used in an assassination in Germany in 2012.