Research ruined after cleaner turns off freezer – 06/28/2023 – Science

A janitor destroyed the work of decades of “pioneering” research in the United States by turning off a laboratory freezer that contained extremely important samples.

The incident took place in September 2020 at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, but the case has become known in recent days.

The cleaning professional argued that he turned it off because there was a very “annoying” alarm sound, according to a lawsuit filed by lawyers for the affected institution in New York.

Although there was a sign explaining how to silence the beeper, the worker reportedly disconnected a switch due to a reading error.

According to the lawyers, the samples stored at -80 °C were “unrecoverable”, and the damages amounted to US$ 1 million (about R$ 4.8 million).

The university where the laboratory is located sued the cleaning company of the employee in question for considering that he was inadequately trained.

mute button

In the laboratory, a great deal of research on photosynthesis was being carried out, led by Professor KV Lakshmi, which had the potential to be a “pioneer” in advancing the development of solar panels, according to the institute’s lawyer.

The laboratory had a contract with the cleaning company for US$ 1.4 million (about R$ 6.7 million).

A few days before the freezer was turned off, an alarm went off, warning of a 3°C rise in temperature.

While the fluctuation could have been catastrophic, Professor Lakshmi “determined that cell cultures, samples and research were not harmed”, the lawsuit reads.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions at the time, freezer repairs would take a week.

Meanwhile, they put up a warning sign: “This freezer is beeping because it is under repair. Please do not move or unplug it. It is not necessary to clean this area.”

“You can press the alarm/test mute button for five to ten seconds if you want to mute the sound.”

But days after the alarm started going off, the general-purpose worker flipped the switch that supplied electricity to the freezer.

According to a report filed by the institute’s security personnel, the worker thought he was flipping the switch when, in fact, he had turned it off, reported the New York Post.

When the researchers discovered the error, the temperature had risen by 50 degrees, until it reached -30 °C.

Most of the samples that were supposed to be kept at -80°C were “compromised, destroyed and beyond recovery, throwing away more than 20 years of research,” according to the lawsuit.

Attorney Michael Ginsberg told NBC News that the janitor heard “nuisance alarms.”

Lawyers who interviewed him said that “even then, he didn’t seem to believe he had done anything wrong, but was just trying to help.”

The institute’s legal team alleges that the company that employed the worker did not adequately train its employee.

Sought by the report, the cleaning company did not comment on the case.