Home UVA reports hazardous materials situation on grounds at chemistry building
Local, Public Safety

UVA reports hazardous materials situation on grounds at chemistry building

Crystal Graham
uva jefferson rotunda grounds university of Virginia
(© David Matthew Lyons – stock.adobe.com)

University of Virginia officials are asking everyone to avoid the area surrounding the UVA Chemistry Building on McCormick Road in Charlottesville.

The alert, shared on Facebook, X, and the university website, says it is a hazardous materials incident.

The building has been evacuated.

A statement from UVA Police says the evacuation was “a safety precaution while a team of professionals worked to extract an inadvertent, potentially hazardous mixture of chemicals from one of the facility’s labs.

“The lab was immediately isolated and the building was closed on Thursday afternoon. Once the hazardous materials team removes and relocated the material for proper disposal, evacuees will be permitted to safely reenter the building.”

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for nearly 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.