Severity
Incident
Was Hydrogen Released?
Yes
Was There Ignition?
Yes
Incident Date
Dec 31, 1969
Setting
Equipment
- Ventilation System
- Glove Box/Fume Hood
Damage and Injuries
Probable Cause
Contributing Factors
When Incident Was Discovered
Lessons Learned
One needs to take extreme care with both new and supposedly spent hydride samples; the spent materials may contain pockets of unoxidized alanates that could react violently when being transferred.
Work with small samples so if something does go wrong, the possibility of serious injury is low.
The lab believes that the slow exposure to room air is the greatest concern.
Additional discussion about working with reactive metal-hydride materials in the laboratory can be found in the Lessons Learned Corner on this website and in the Hydrogen Safety Best Practices Manual.