A corrosive chemical spilled Friday afternoon in a fifth-floor laboratory of the downtown University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute building partially closing the sidewalk at the Inner Harbor to tourists and workers at the height of rush hour.
Someone in the lab accidentally knocked over the bromine, a chemical that can cause severe burns and respiratory problems, just after 5 p.m., a fire department spokesman said. The worker was brought to an area hospital with injuries that did not appear life-threatening, Chief Kevin Cartwright said. It wasn?t immediately clear if the UMBI building, at 701 E. Pratt St.,was evacuated. After using air-quality meters to test the room, Cartwright said, firefighters were planning to neutralize the spilled bromine with soda ash. A crowd gathered as at least nine fire vehicles ? including a hazardous material unit ? pulled up to the scene and the sidewalk was blocked. One man who said he worked nearby was told he couldn?t pull his car out of its parking space because the road was blocked.
Told the emergency event was a spilled chemical, another man pronounced it “kind of boring” and walked away down Pratt Street, sliding his sunglasses on.
