Of utmost concern during this incident was the health and safety of both the building occupants and the response personnel. Hazardous Material Response Team being decontaminated as a precautionary measure upon completion of their work. After the HazMat Team temporarily sealed the leak, the refrigerator was moved to an outdoor area near the Kenilworth Building. There, a licensed hazardous waste vendor, who had been called on an emergency basis, safely purged the unit of remaining SO 2 refrigerant gas. In the end, the simple matter of defrosting an old refrigerator became a very dangerous situation for two employees and a very expensive hazardous material problem for the campus.
Refrigerator is very heavy.
Sheet metal is very thick, shape is very rounded. Brand names may possibly include Kelvinator, Gibson, Frigidaire, General Electric. Due to the potentially high toxicity of the sulfur dioxide the Milwaukee Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team and the Milwaukee Health Department were called to manage the situation. The University Police Dept. was directed to conduct a non-emergency evacuation of the building as a precautionary measure. There was concern that sulfur dioxide might enter the ventilation system and impact other areas of the building, especially as the refrigerator was taken down the elevator and through the halls to the loading dock.