Students were dismissed from school early on Monday, November 20, because of a gas leak in room 303.
Elizabeth Majerus, director and principal, says Uni administration is currently discussing the use of natural gas in science labs.
During seventh period on November 20, the fire alarm sounded. Students promptly evacuated the building to the parking lot outside of Uni Gym while firefighters addressed the situation.
Students were eventually released from school. After students left, Majerus says the University of Illinois’ Facility and Services Department — F and S — investigated the area and eventually shut off the gas at the main source, outside the Uni building.
“They weren’t really sure what was going on, but they made sure the area was secure and safe,” adds Majerus.
After revisiting the building on Wednesday, November 22, Majerus says F and S had a theory about the cause of the leak: “a knob that may have gotten knocked” at the gas main.
“[Natural gas] creates methane,” states Majerus.
It’s estimated that in 2020, methane emissions from natural gas were the source of about 33% of total U.S. methane emissions and about 4% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Majerus says that natural gas is most used in Uni science classes for “heating things and for flame experiments.”
“The sense I got from the science teachers is they’re not constantly using gas in labs,” she adds. “We checked to make sure we’re okay to leave the gas main off and the science teachers said, ‘Yeah, we’re not gonna be using that.’”
Regardless, Majerus offers a few alternatives to natural gas while the gas main is turned off. For heating, she suggests students use a different heating source, such as a hot plate or a burner; and for a flame, “there are other ways to create a flame for a short amount of time.”
“That’s probably the direction we’re [going to] go,” Majerus states.
