Purdue News

June 4, 2002 Two injured in Purdue laboratory accident WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Two graduate students were in stable condition Tuesday (6/4) at Wishard Memorial Hospital after they were injured Monday at Purdue University when a glass vessel containing hot liquid shattered in a chemical engineering laboratory. The vessel had been removed from a sterilizing device known as an autoclave and placed on a platform to cool. It threw hot liquid into the air when it shattered, said James F. Schweitzer, a radiation safety officer at Purdue. Qi Xu, 23, and Abhijit Namjoshi, 25, were taken to St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Lafayette. They subsequently were transferred by helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Both men suffered steam burns to their torsos and facial areas. Xu lives in Young Graduate House. Namjoshi lives at 119 Marshall Drive, Purdue Village. Both men were alert and spoke with a Purdue representative on Tuesday. Safety and security personnel described the liquid in the shattered container as a non-toxic salt solution. The cause of the accident is under investigation. Writer: Emil Venere, (765) 494-4709, venere@purdue.edu Source: Joseph Bennett, vice president for university relations, (765) 427-1112, jlbennett@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page