Hazardous materials leak cleared near Eames Complex

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - UPDATE 5:00 p.m. All hazmat and emergency personnel at the ISU Eames Building Hazardous Material Incident have cleared the scene, and normal operations may resume.

ORIGINAL: Pocatello Fire Department and Idaho State University officials are asking the public to avoid the area of the Eames Complex, 1999 Alvin Ricken Drive, due to a hazardous material leak. 

First responders and hazardous material experts are currently on scene and have created a safety perimeter around the shipping containers outside the building that contained the leaking detectors. People who are currently in the Eames Complex building have been asked to briefly shelter in place. 

The leak was found by ISU employees in the process of inventorying and removing donated neutron detectors. The detectors contained cracks causing a Boron trifluoride gas leak. The employees were in full protective gear and are trained in handling hazardous materials, so exposure risks from the leak was low. The inventory was being completed with safety procedures and personal protective equipment for handling toxic materials.  No one was injured. 

Air intakes in the building were also shut off out of an abundance of caution to reduce any potential risk to occupants. 

Currently, there are no known exposures or risks to the public outside the perimeter or inside the building. Pocatello Fire Department has taken the lead on the incident, and emergency crews are on scene to contain the material safely.