CIRC Results   Incident Title Cleanup Continues On Campus After Chemical Explosion; Over $600,000 in damage to Incubator Firms      Location Date of Incident Bethlehem, PA, United States 2/25/2000- 8:30 AM CSB Incident Number NRC Report Number Board Ref. Number 2000-4699 None Reported None Reported Current Status Date of Report Update No CSB Action 3/1/2000 - 5:23 PM Incident Types Location Types - Explosion - Fire Fixed Facility Evacuations Injuries Fatalities Yes - Number Unknown None Reported None Reported Chemicals Involved - Sodium hypochlorite Description or Latest Development ----- Information Added: Wednesday, March 1, 2000 - 5:38 PM ----- Cleanup is continuing at Lehigh University's Mountaintop Campus as officials of a burned-out computer company scramble to save their business.   The blast at neighboring company CDG Technologies on Friday caused more than $100,000 in damage to the building and to CDG lab equipment, officials said. The building housed 10 high-tech start-up businesses. One of them, Digestive Care, Inc., said the fire and explosion probably cost his company at least $500,000.  The company manufactures an enzyme used as a dietary supplement by children with cystic fibrosis. The Bethlehem Fire Department says there are no new developments in the investigation into the incident.   What is known is that the fire broke out in a laboratory used by CDG Technologies around 8:30 a.m. Friday, but don't know exactly what caused it. According to a fire department report, CSG employee Nick Gallowitch filled a 4-inch PVC tube with sodium chlorite and weh he started to screw a cap onto the tube, fire shot out of the bottom. Gallowitch told officials he went to get a fire extinguisher, but when he came back, the room was on fire. Sodium chlorite is stable and will not combust on its own. An organic fuel would need to be added for the chemical to catch fire, according to the report. Sources ( * indicates the original source) Source Details Media * Allentown Morning Call 03/01/2000  Top   Disclaimer: The Chemical Incident Reports Center (CIRC) is an information service provided by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB). Users of this service should note that the contents of the CIRC are not intended to be a comprehensive listing of all incidents that have occurred; many incidents go unreported or are not entered into the database. Therefore, it is not appropriate to use the CIRC database to perform statistical analysis that extends conclusions beyond the content of the CIRC. Also, although the CSB never knowingly posts inaccurate information, the CSB is unable to independently verify all information that it receives from its various sources, much of which is based on initial reports. CIRC users should also note that the CSB receives more comprehensive reports about incidents that occur in the U.S.; comparisons made between U.S. incidents and those in other nations should take this fact into consideration. Users of data from the CIRC are requested to attach this disclaimer to the data and cite http://www.chemsafety.gov/circ as the source.