Paint Fumes Force Lerner Evacuation

Hazardous paint fumes on the fifth floor of Lerner Hall led to an evacuation of a section of the building at around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Lerner management. The odors, which resulted from recoating of the wooden floors, prompted building officials to vacate the 20 to 25 people who were in the affected areas.

Jonell Quinones, assistant venue manager of Lerner Hall, reported that building employees detected the problem in a timely manner, and that the subsequent evacuation took place immediately thereafter. Describing the effects of the fumes, a custodial worker said that upon entering the fifth floor earlier that evening, his eyes started to tear.

As of 10:30 p.m., only the areas that share the same air-conditioning system as the affected area, the multilevel glass rotunda accessible only by swipe from Broadway, were closed off. Other sections, including the computer labs on the first floor and Cafe 212, were not shut down.

According to Quinones, both Venue Operations and security are conducting full reports. While the management is currently in the process of purging the fumes, the time at which the affected sections of the building will reopen is unknown. "We're giving it time," Quinones said.

As for the students who had resorted to Lerner's quiet upper floors in preparation for finals, one custodial worker said that he sympathizes with them. "Many students [who were evacuated] already made plans to stay here all night," he said.