{
  "id": "2025-08-28-usc-seaver-liquid-nitrogen-hazmat",
  "slug": "usc-seaver-liquid-nitrogen-hazmat-2025-08-28",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Southern California",
    "shortName": "USC",
    "state": "CA",
    "type": "private-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "TrojansAlert"
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-08-28",
    "type": "hazmat",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Leaking liquid-nitrogen tank draws a hazmat response; secured with no injuries",
    "headlinePublic": "Leaking liquid-nitrogen tank draws a hazmat response; secured with no injuries",
    "summary": "A bulk liquid-nitrogen tank began leaking outside the [Frank R. Seaver Science Center](https://abc7.com/post/leaking-liquid-nitrogen-tank-usc-campus-prompts-hazmat-response-frank-seaver-science-center/17675920/) at USC's University Park Campus around midday on August 28, 2025, drawing a Los Angeles Fire Department hazmat response. No injuries were reported, and the [LAFD logged the call](https://lafd.org/alert/hazardous-materials-08282025-inc0801) as a hazardous-materials incident at 920 Bloom Walk before crews secured the tank.",
    "outcome": "Fire crews and USC's own hazardous-materials team secured the leaking tank within roughly 20 minutes. No one was injured and university operations returned to normal.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Around 12:15 PM PDT on August 28, 2025, shortly after the leak was reported",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "A hazardous materials incident was reported at Frank R. Seaver Science Center (920 Bloom Walk) at UPC. No immediate danger exists. Stay away from the area until further notice.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "@USCDPS on X (verbatim Seaver hazmat)",
      "annotations": [
        "Full text from official @USCDPS X status including 920 Bloom Walk address",
        "Coverage described both a liquid leak and a 'pungent odor' at the scene; officials identified the source as a bulk liquid-nitrogen tank, a cryogen whose primary hazards are oxygen displacement and cold burns in confined spaces, which shaped the 'avoid the area' framing."
      ],
      "characterCount": 176,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/USCDPS/status/1961144881071452596",
      "timestamp": "2025-08-28T12:12:30-07:00"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Early afternoon on August 28, 2025, after crews secured the tank around 12:35 PM PDT",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "The hazardous materials incident at Frank R. Seaver Science Center (920 Bloom Walk) at UPC has concluded.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/USCDPS/status/1961168997778440649",
      "sourceDescription": "@USCDPS on X (verbatim Seaver hazmat concluded)",
      "annotations": [
        "Corrected to exact @USCDPS concluded text; prior confirmed wording added non-posted closing clause",
        "CBS Los Angeles quoted this USC statement word-for-word as the all-clear; it explicitly lifts the precaution by saying operations 'returned to normal.'",
        "The all-clear came the same afternoon because liquid nitrogen disperses as a harmless gas once the leak is stopped and the space is ventilated."
      ],
      "characterCount": 105,
      "timestamp": "2025-08-28T13:48:20-07:00"
    }
  ],
  "context": "Liquid nitrogen is a routine laboratory cryogen used for cooling and sample storage, but a leaking bulk tank can displace oxygen and cause cold burns, which is why a leak at a busy science building draws a full hazmat response. On August 28, 2025, a bulk liquid-nitrogen tank sprang a leak near the [Frank R. Seaver Science Center](https://abc7.com/post/leaking-liquid-nitrogen-tank-usc-campus-prompts-hazmat-response-frank-seaver-science-center/17675920/) at 920 Bloom Walk on USC's University Park Campus. The [Los Angeles Fire Department logged the hazardous-materials call](https://lafd.org/alert/hazardous-materials-08282025-inc0801) and dispatched a hazmat assignment; [CBS Los Angeles reported](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/usc-evacuates-room-in-seaver-science-center-for-pungent-odor-and-liquid-leak/) that firefighters ultimately determined the leak posed no danger and that USC said operations had returned to normal. No injuries were reported in any account.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "A leaking bulk liquid-nitrogen tank (a cryogen) was enough to trigger a full LAFD hazmat response and an avoid-the-area advisory at a major research campus",
    "Crews secured the tank within roughly 20 minutes of the reported leak and issued an all-clear the same afternoon",
    "No injuries were reported; officials attributed the incident to the leaking cryogenic tank, whose primary hazards are oxygen displacement and cold contact, though coverage also referenced a 'pungent odor' at the scene"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "@USCDPS Seaver hazmat concluded - X",
      "url": "https://x.com/USCDPS/status/1961168997778440649",
      "type": "official-social"
    },
    {
      "title": "@USCDPS Seaver hazmat initial - X",
      "url": "https://x.com/USCDPS/status/1961144881071452596",
      "type": "official-social"
    },
    {
      "title": "Leaking liquid nitrogen tank on USC campus prompts hazmat response near Frank R. Seaver Science Center - ABC7 Los Angeles",
      "url": "https://abc7.com/post/leaking-liquid-nitrogen-tank-usc-campus-prompts-hazmat-response-frank-seaver-science-center/17675920/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Firefighters determine pungent odor, spill at USC that led to evacuations is harmless - CBS Los Angeles",
      "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/usc-evacuates-room-in-seaver-science-center-for-pungent-odor-and-liquid-leak/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Hazardous Materials 08/28/2025 INC#0801 - Los Angeles Fire Department",
      "url": "https://lafd.org/alert/hazardous-materials-08282025-inc0801",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "liquid-nitrogen",
    "cryogen",
    "hazmat",
    "lab-safety",
    "california",
    "emergency-notification"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-28",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-17",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}