A Boston College grad student was transported to a local hospital after he came in contact with a powerful chemical that spilled on his skin and clothing and emitted an odor that led authorities to evacuate a Beacon Street facility this morning.

Boston firefighters and BC police cleared students and staff from the Merkert Chemistry Center where a student researcher spilled a chemical called piperidine, said Ed Hayward, spokesman for the college.

The researcher was removing the chemical in a container from a packing box. The container broke and might have been cracked, Hayward told the Herald. The chemical spilled on his hands and clothing, but he used the labs decontamination facility to rinse the chemical off.

Members of BCs chemistry department along with Boston College police followed protocol to ensure the students safety as the Boston Fire Department hazmat unit got on scene and cleared the building because of the chemicals strong odor.

The powerful chemical piperidine is a very common organic compound used in chemistry research, said Hayward, adding that no one else was affected by the spill.

The student researcher was transported to Beth Israel Medical Center as a precaution. Authorities said he didnt suffer any life-threatening injuries.

The fire department has mostly cleared the scene, and the building is expected to reopen later this afternoon.

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Boston College chemistry center evacuated after spill