Beijing Graduate Student Loses Three Fingers in Lab Blast
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
A master's student at Beijing University of Chemical Technology suffered severe injuries after a laboratory explosion before dawn on August 5 at the university's Chaoyang campus in Beijing, with three fingers on the left hand reportedly blown off or unlikely to be preserved . Internal notices circulating online said the student entered a laboratory that was not open, carried out an experiment alone in a fume hood, and triggered the accident by violating safety procedures . The university confirmed the incident on August 7 and said it was investigating the cause, while online criticism focused on whether the school was placing responsibility solely on the injured student . One account identified the substance involved as a benzoyl azide compound and said the student used a metal scraper instead of the required horn tool during sampling .
Key Points
- The accident happened in the early hours of August 5 at Beijing University of Chemical Technology's Chaoyang campus in Beijing .
- The injured person was a master's student whose left hand was severely damaged, with three fingers reportedly severed or unlikely to be saved .
- Screenshots of internal notices said the student entered a laboratory that was not open and conducted the experiment alone in a fume hood .
- A report said the student was handling a benzoyl azide compound and used a metal scraper instead of a horn tool required by safety rules .
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology confirmed the incident on August 7, while Beijing education authorities reportedly raised the case in a summer laboratory safety meeting .
Why It Matters
The incident has renewed scrutiny of laboratory safety controls at Chinese universities, especially around access permissions, lone working, and handling of hazardous chemicals . It also highlights public concern that accident investigations should examine supervision, institutional safety culture, and research pressure, not only individual rule-breaking .