SALT LAKE CITY — A chemical leak Sunday at a bio-tech company near St. Mark's Hospital, created an unusual challenge for fire and haz-mat crews who were called out to respond. When they arrived, crews found liquid nitrogen seeping out of a tank, freezing everything it touched.
The call to Tandem Labs — located at 1121 East 3900 South — came in as a natural gas leak, but upon further investigation officials realized the partially frozen door with vapor pouring out from underneath was something else.
"It looks like it's been leaking for a while," said Capt. Cliff Burningham, Unified Fire Authority. The leak was determined to be liquid nitrogen — an asphyxiate, meaning it displaces oxygen and can be dangerous in a confined space. As a precaution, firefighters wore oxygen tanks and masks as they entered the room of the Tandem Labs building.
As it turns out, the room was sufficiently ventilated and posed no risk to neighboring businesses. However, firefighters used special thermal gear to deal with the leak and closed off a small area around the tank.
On its website, Tandem Labs says it provides bioanalytical services to the pharmaceutial industry. The building was unoccupied at the time of the leak.
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