Bomb squad remove hazardous chemical from hospital

Date Published: 06-Feb-2009

Staff at University Hospital Galway were yesterday required to call on the services of the army Bomb Disposal Unit to remove hazardous – and potentially explosive – material discovered in a laboratory storeroom that was several years out of date.

The Bomb Unit, accompanied by several members of the army and the Gardaí arrived at the hospital at lunchtime after they were alerted to the discovery of 600g of the chemical nitrocellulose in the lab.

The chemical, which was traditionally used in a number of hospital functions but which is no longer required for modern laboratory services is extremely flammable and can be explosive under some conditions.

The Health Service Executive confirmed that…