{
  "id": "2023-02-08-university-of-delaware-explosive-chemical-hazmat",
  "slug": "university-of-delaware-explosive-chemical-hazmat-2023-02-08",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Delaware",
    "shortName": "UD",
    "state": "DE",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "UD Alert",
    "enrollment": 24000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2023-02-08",
    "type": "hazmat",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "A lab accident yields an explosive chemical; six buildings are evacuated for detonation",
    "headlinePublic": "A lab accident yields an explosive chemical; six buildings are evacuated for detonation",
    "summary": "On the afternoon of February 8, 2023, researchers in the [Lammot du Pont Laboratory](https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2023/february/environmental-health-safety-emergency-response-lammot-du-pont-laboratory/) at the University of Delaware inadvertently produced a small amount of a shock-sensitive explosive chemical. UD evacuated six buildings around the South Green (Lammot du Pont, Brown, and Drake laboratories plus Memorial Hall, Alison Hall, and Morris Library) and issued a series of UD Alerts. A [Delaware State Police explosive-ordnance unit](https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2023/02/10/campus-evacuated-after-explosive-accidentally-produced) removed the substance and conducted a [controlled detonation on the South Green](https://www.newarkpostonline.com/news/ud-hazmat-situation-ends-as-bomb-squad-detonates-explosive-chemical-on-the-green/article_c2395069-faae-57d7-99c3-c63d69708851.html). No one was hurt.",
    "outcome": "No injuries were reported. The shock-sensitive chemical was removed from the lab and detonated in a controlled manner on the South Green by a state police EOD team, and all evacuated buildings reopened the next morning, February 9, 2023.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Early afternoon, February 8, 2023, as buildings were evacuated",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "UDPD and EHS are investigating a safety related incident at the Lammot Dupont Lab located at 175 The Green Lane. The building is closed until further notice.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://udreview.com/a-deep-dive-into-the-real-reason-behind-the-controlled-detonation-on-the-green/",
      "sourceDescription": "The Review (UD student newspaper) quoting the UD Alert / safety notification text",
      "annotations": [
        "The first sentence is quoted verbatim by The Review, UD's student newspaper, which reported 'The first alert read' followed by exactly this wording, including the 'Lammot Dupont' spelling and the '175 The Green Lane' address."
      ],
      "characterCount": 157
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "Afternoon, February 8, 2023, as the evacuation footprint expanded",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "The following buildings are being closed and evacuated: Memorial Hall, Morris Library, Alison Hall, Brown Lab, Drake Lab. AVOID THE AREA OF THE GREEN.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://udreview.com/a-deep-dive-into-the-real-reason-behind-the-controlled-detonation-on-the-green/",
      "sourceDescription": "The Review (UD student newspaper), quoting the second UD Alert",
      "annotations": [
        "Morris Library is a major central facility, so its inclusion signaled the seriousness of the precaution despite the chemical being characterized as an isolated incident."
      ],
      "characterCount": 150
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Late afternoon or evening, February 8, 2023, after the controlled detonation",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from UDaily and Newark Post reporting that buildings reopened Feb 9",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "context": "The February 8, 2023 incident began when researchers in the [Lammot du Pont Laboratory](https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2023/february/environmental-health-safety-emergency-response-lammot-du-pont-laboratory/) on the University of Delaware's Newark campus inadvertently synthesized a small quantity of a shock-sensitive explosive compound. The university characterized it as an isolated incident with no broader threat to campus health, but out of caution it evacuated six buildings clustered around the South Green and pushed a series of UD Alerts through the afternoon. The [Delaware State Police deployed an explosive-ordnance-disposal unit](https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2023/02/10/campus-evacuated-after-explosive-accidentally-produced) to remove the material and perform a [controlled detonation on the South Green](https://www.newarkpostonline.com/news/ud-hazmat-situation-ends-as-bomb-squad-detonates-explosive-chemical-on-the-green/article_c2395069-faae-57d7-99c3-c63d69708851.html), an unusual sight on a campus mall. No injuries were reported and the buildings reopened the next morning. The episode is a clean example of a research-laboratory hazmat emergency (distinct from the gas-leak and bomb-threat incidents UD also experienced) and it foreshadowed later criticism (after the September 2025 bomb-threat scare) that UD's emergency alerts could be too vague about the nature of a danger.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "A routine research procedure accidentally produced a shock-sensitive explosive chemical, turning a lab into a hazmat scene",
    "UD evacuated six South Green buildings (three labs plus Memorial Hall, Alison Hall, and Morris Library) and issued multiple UD Alerts through the afternoon",
    "A Delaware State Police EOD team removed the substance and conducted a controlled detonation on the South Green",
    "No one was injured and all evacuated buildings reopened the next morning, February 9, 2023"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Campus Buildings to Reopen Feb. 9 After Lab Incident - UDaily",
      "url": "https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2023/february/environmental-health-safety-emergency-response-lammot-du-pont-laboratory/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "UD hazmat situation ends as bomb squad detonates 'explosive chemical' on The Green - Newark Post",
      "url": "https://www.newarkpostonline.com/news/ud-hazmat-situation-ends-as-bomb-squad-detonates-explosive-chemical-on-the-green/article_c2395069-faae-57d7-99c3-c63d69708851.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Campus Evacuated After Explosive Is Accidentally Produced - Inside Higher Ed",
      "url": "https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2023/02/10/campus-evacuated-after-explosive-accidentally-produced",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Students Evacuated From Multiple Buildings At UD Due To 'Safety Related Incident' - First State Update",
      "url": "https://firststateupdate.com/2023/02/students-evacuated-from-multiple-buildings-at-ud-due-to-safety-related-incident/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "A deep dive into the real reason behind the 'controlled detonation' on the Green - The Review",
      "url": "https://udreview.com/a-deep-dive-into-the-real-reason-behind-the-controlled-detonation-on-the-green/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "hazmat",
    "delaware",
    "university-of-delaware",
    "laboratory",
    "controlled-detonation",
    "evacuation"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-28",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}