Accident Description

Accident: Texas Tech University Chemistry Lab Explosion

Location: Location: Lubbock, TX

Accident Occurred On: 01/07/2010 | Final Report Released On: 10/19/2011

Accident Type: Reactive Incident

Investigation Status: The CSB's investigation was released via webinar on October 19, 2011.

An explosion severely injured a graduate student at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, in the chemistry department during the handling of a high-energy metal compound, which suddenly detonated. Texas Tech had entered into an agreement with Northeastern University, which holds a contract from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to study the high-energy materials.

P1020150