Chemical leak prompts hazmat response at Argonne National Laboratory

LEMONT, Ill. (CBS) -- Hazardous materials crews were called to Argonne National Laboratory in west suburban Lemont Tuesday afternoon.

The hazmat techs were dispatched for a leaking package that turned up on a loading dock at the U.S. Department of Energy-owned lab.

About 4 liters of dichloromethane seeped from a container in the package, which was initially called "suspicious," according to the lab. No injuries were reported, and nothing was contaminated.

Dichloromethane, or methylene chloride (CH₂Cl₂), is a clear liquid with a mild, sweet odor that is used as a solvent, a paint stripper, and an agent to remove caffeine from coffee. While it is not flammable or explosive in the air, it can emit toxic fumes if exposed to high temperatures, the National Institutes of Health warns.

Argonne National Laboratory was borne of the University of Chicago's work on the Manhattan Project to create the world's first self-sustaining nuclear reaction. The laboratory was chartered in 1946 to develop nuclear reactors for America's peacetime nuclear energy program, the lab's history page notes.

The lab also maintained and expanded a presence in physics and chemistry research. In 1955, Argonne chemists co-discovered the radioactive elements einsteinium (Es) and Fermium (Fm), and in 1962, chemists at Argonne produced the first compound of the inert noble gas xenon (Xe), the history page notes.

Argonne was also chosen for the site of the 12.5 GeV Zero Gradient Synchrotron particle accelerator in 1963, the history website notes.

Among the programs with which Argonne is now involved is the Community Research on Climate and Urban Science, or CROCUS program. Researchers use special equipment to track rising temperatures and climate change across the Chicago area—and examine how extreme heat is felt differently throughout the city.