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Explosion in University of Missouri lab, four hurt

Schweitzer Hall at the University of Missouri-Columbia
(KBIA photo)
Schweitzer Hall at the University of Missouri-Columbia

By AP

Columbia, MO – Three people injured by a hydrogen gas explosion at a University of Missouri biochemistry lab have been released from a Columbia hospital. The university said a fourth person is in good condition.

The blast Monday afternoon blew several windows out of a lab building. Initial reports said a hydrogen tank exploded, but that turned out not to be true.

The Columbia Fire Department said too much hydrogen built up in an anaerobic hood - a device used to study bacteria that cannot survive in oxygen.

Columbia Fire Department Captain Eric Hartman said people working in the lab ignored a warning system.

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