Tomorrow morning at approximately 8:00 a.m. a UC Berkeley Police Department (UCB PD) hazardous materials truck will arrive on-site to remove a container of picrylsulfonic acid from a lab in the Molecular Foundry. The truck will enter and exit through Strawberry Gate. There may be traffic and shuttle delays in the area until the operation is completed.
The 10-milliliter bottle of picrylsulfonic acid was discovered Wednesday afternoon as part of an ongoing chemical inventory at the Lab. As you are aware, the Lab has been conducting a comprehensive chemical inventory for the past few weeks with the deadline for completion next Friday, Jan. 24.
Molecular Foundry staff, in response to this discovery, alerted Foundry and Area leadership, who, in partnership with the Lab’s EH&S and Security and Emergency Services teams are working with the UCB PD and the Alameda County Fire Department to plan for the container’s safe removal and disposal.
During the operation, UCB PD hazardous materials experts will carefully remove the container from the building and place it in a specialized hazardous materials disposal trailer. It will be disposed of offsite.
If you have questions about the removal please contact David von Damm, Interim Director of Security and Emergency Services.
Ellen Ford