Hazmat Situation At Mass General Under Control, Say Firefighters

BOSTON — Hazmat crews were called to Mass General Hospital Thursday for a liquid nitrogen tank leaking in the basement.

"The area is secure, and they are working on shutting down the leak," a spokesperson for the fire department posted to Twitter. "There are no injuries to report."

Someone called 911 just before 5:45 p.m. to report the Level 3 Hazmat.

Liquid nitrogen is a cryogenic fluid that can cause rapid freezing on contact with living tissue, like frost bite.

Fire officials define a Level 3 hazmat incident as: fitting one of the following:

• Materials or conditions which require the use of the chemical protective clothing,
• The evacuation of areas and buildings adjacent to the chemical emergency
• Extreme conditions necessitating additional equipment and specially trained personnel.

Read about other recent hazmat situations:

• Hydrogen Peroxide Spill Prompts Evacuation
• Congress Street Building Evacuated In Boston's Financial District
• Hazmat Situation At Harvard Lab