NEWS
      &
      FEATURES
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      newly
      rebuilt
      chemical
      shed.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Cass
      chemical
     
     
      burning
      leaves
     
     
      questions
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Unsafe
      storage
      procedures
      trigger
      crisis
     
    
   
   
    
     
      adly
      organized
      storage,
      inaccurate
     
     
      “
      records,
      and
      infrequent
      chemical
      checks
     
    

    
     
      led
      to
      the
      burning
      of
      the
      chemical
      stor-
     
     
      age
      shed
      behind
      the
      Cass
      building
      on
      August
     
     
      2nd.
     
    

    
     
      At
      an
      undetermined
      point
      in
      time
      a
      bottle
     
     
      of
      liquid
      that
      stored
      picric
      acid
      was
      cracked
      and
     
     
      the
      liquid
      leaked
      “Probably
      while
      someone
      was
     
     
      moving
      things
      and
      didn’t
      notice”
      says
      Dr.
      Eliot,
     
     
      President
      of
      UPEI.
     
    

    
     
      Picric
      acid
      is
      a
      chemical
      used
      for
      staining.
     
     
      “When
      kept
      in
      liquid
      it
      is
      very
      stable,
      but
      when
     
     
      not
      it
      has
      all
      the
      characteristics
      of
      TNT.”
      This
     
    
   
   
    
     
      4/X-Press/September
      9,
      1993
     
    
   
   
    
     
      presented
      the
      university
      with
      a
      very
      dangerous
     
     
      situation.
      Even
      the
      slightest
      friction
      could
      set
      off
     
     
      an
      explosion.
     
    

    
     
      University
      officials
      went
      over
      all
      the
      possi-
     
     
      ble
      ways
      of
      dealing
      with
      the
      problem.
      “Inthe
      end
     
     
      everyone
      agreed
      that
      [burning
      the
      shed]
      was
     
     
      the
      best
      way
      to
      do
      it”.
      It
      was
      a
      decision
      that
     
     
      proved
      harder
      then
      planned.
      When
      reviewing
     
     
      what
      chemicals
      had
      to
      be
      and
      could
      be
      removed
     
     
      safely
      the
      university
      found
      forty
      unlabelled
      con-
     
     
      tainers.
      This
      led
      to
      the
      hiring
      of
      a
      chemical
     
    
   
   
    
     
      they
      were
      disposed
      of
      along
      with
      the
      others.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      analyst
      from
      California
      who
      identified
      them,
      and
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      situation
      raises
      some
      serious
      ques-
     
     
      tions
      about
      the
      storage
      of
      chemicals
      at
      UPEI.
     
     
      Are
      the
      students
      and
      faculty
      safe?
      One
      science
     
     
      student
      voices
      a
      concern
      that
      many
      others
      feel.
     
     
      “It
      is
      discomforting
      to
      know
      that
      things
      are
      not
     
     
      properly
      taken
      care
      of”
      says
      Student
      Union
      Vice
     
     
      President-Internal
      (VPI)
      Andrew
      MacPherson;
     
     
      however,
      Dr.
      Eliot
      insists
      that
      the
      university
      has
     
     
      learned
      from
      the
      past.
      Obviously
      the
      science
     
     
      department
      was
      not
      making
      frequent
      enough
     
     
      checks,
      or
      keeping
      accurate
      records.
     
    

    
     
      President
      Eliot
      stated
      that
      all
      the
      storage
     
     
      procedures
      and
      record
      keeping
      practices
      have
     
     
      been
      reviewed
      and
      are
      in
      the
      process
      of
      being
     
     
      improved.
      “We
      are
      now
      changing
      to
      have
      much
     
     
      better
      storage.”
     
    

    
     
      Unfortunately,
      this
      is
      not
      only
      a
      problem
     
     
      here
      at
      UPEI.
      Many
      high
      schools
      across
      the
     
     
      Island
      have
      poor
      storage
      and
      record
      keeping.
     
     
      This
      could
      lead
      to
      more
      dangerous
      situations,
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "It
      is
      discomforting
      to
     
     
      know
      that
      things
      were
     
     
      not
      properly
      taken
      care
     
     
      of."
     
     
      —Andrew
     
     
      MacPherson,
     
     
      Student
      Union
     
     
      Vice-President
     
     
      Internal
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      those
      might
      not
      happen
      conveniently
      in
      the
     
     
      middle
      of
      the
      summer
      as
      was
      the
      case
      at
      UPEI.
     
    

    
     
      The
      burning
      of
      the
      shed
      and
      chemicals
      did
     
     
      not
      have
      many
      negative
      effects
      environmentally.
     
     
      Dr.
      Eliot
      said
      they
      were
      worried
      about
      the
     
     
      direction.of
      the
      smoke
      because
      of
      the
      nearby
     
     
      residential
      areas,
      but
      fortunately
      the
      air
      was
     
     
      calm
      on
      the
      day
      of
      the
      fire.
     
    

    
     
      \
      Thewater
      in
      the
      shed
      after
      the
      fire
      was
      highly
     
     
      acidic,
      so
      it
      was
      treated
      to
      balance
      the
      PH
      level
     
     
      and
      then
      drained.
     
    

    
     
      The
      expense
      of
      the
      whole
      operation
      was
     
     
      approximately
      $30,000-$40,000.
      UPEI’s
      contin-
     
     
      gency
      fund
      covered
      the
      expense.
      Dr.
      Eliot
      says
     
     
      he
      is
      not
      worried
      about
      the
      money,
      adding,
      “It’s
     
     
      not
      the
      cost
      of
      the
      project
      that
      is
      important,
      it
     
     
      is
      the
      safety
      of
      the
      university.”
     
    

    
     
      REBECCA
      MOORE