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Woman Hurt In Explosion At BC Lab

CHESTNUT HILL (CBS) – A woman was hurt in a chemical explosion at Boston College late Saturday morning.

BC spokesman Jack Dunn told WBZ-TV international PhD student Hee Yeon Cho was in a room in the basement of the Merkert Chemistry Center around 10:40 a.m. when a beaker she was working with broke.

She ran from the building.

Boston firefighters responded and once they realized one person was unaccounted for, they evacuated the hall.

It was declared it a Level 3 Hazardous Materials situation, which means authorities went into the building in chemical protection suits.

WBZ-TV's Alana Gomez reports

Officers later found Cho at her home on Faneuil Street in Brighton a short time later. She was treated for respiratory issues, burns and cuts from shattered glass.  She was also decontaminated because she had come in contact with Thionyl Chloride, a chemical that can become explosive when mixed in certain combinations.

Hee Yeon Cho
Hee Yeon Cho (photo courtesy: BC Chemistry Newsletter)

Cho was then taken to St. Elizabeth's Medical Center for treatment.  Her injuries are not life-threatening.

Hazardous material technicians also checked her apartment and car with meters as a precaution, the Boston Fire Department tweeted.

Boston College has a cleanup company taking care of the lab.

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