The following message to all faculty, staff and students is being
distributed through a special listserv. You cannot unsubscribe from the
list.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Emergency personnel were dispatched to Terrill Hall this morning to handle
an incident involving a small amount of Phenol that was accidentally put
through an autoclave in a first-floor lab. The building was quickly
evacuated.

Phenol is a type of chemical used in laboratories to break open cells in
order to extract genetic material. As a result of exposure to the
chemical, roughly 20 people experienced some health symptoms including
headaches and nausea. One staff member was taken to the hospital by UVM
Rescue for evaluation and was released. Symptoms are alleviated with
exposure to fresh air and long-term complications are not expected based
on the type of exposure at Terrill this morning. However, if you were in
the building and you have any health concerns, please contact the UVM
Health Clinic at 656-3350.

In order to properly ventilate Terrill Hall, the building will be
off-limits to faculty, staff and students for the remainder of the day. It
will likely re-open Thursday morning, but please check the University's
web site at www.uvm.edu for updates.

Today's classes have been re-scheduled in other campus locations. Faculty
and students are being notified via e-mail. If you have any questions
about today's classes, please call 656-3131.