SANTA FE, NM – The New Mexico Department of Health has issued an advisory regarding its investigation into chemical storage and handling at New Mexico Highlands University.

According to NMHealth, the investigation involves the death of a university administrator. The administrator was Martin Lujan, who died on September 14th at the age of 54. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator is still awaiting toxicology results on the cause of death.

Lujan worked in the Ivan Hilton Science Building, which was closed on September 3 due to problems with chemical storage and maintenance, according to the NMHU. However, the university’s facilities department received a complaint about a strong chemical smell on July 16.

According to NMHU, the smell came from a walk-in cooler at the time. They removed the material in question and had two supervisors wipe down the inside of the radiator to complete the cleaning. The university said they also hired a waste disposal company to clean the radiator, then tape it off and prohibit access.

Then on August 27, “residual odors” prompted them to contact New Mexico OSHA and the New Mexico Environment Department to report the incident and seek advice.

On September 3, another chemical odor was reported. The NMHU police chief called the Las Vegas Fire Department to investigate the complaint. During the inspection, a leak was discovered, after which the fire department ordered the university to evacuate and close the building.

A HAZMAT contractor arrived and cleaned up a dimethylamine hydrochloride leak in a chemical storage room. They then conducted an inventory and labeled any remaining chemicals in the room.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation subsequently conducted an inspection that discovered unlabeled and expired chemicals in other areas of the building. By September 20, the HAZMAT contractor removed all chemicals from the laboratory and stored them in a central storage area.

However, two days earlier, OSHA received a complaint about Lujan’s death.

With this in mind, NMHU announced that it is working to strengthen the campus’s HAZMAT policy.

“We have restructured the organization of the Office of Environment, Health and Safety and established a committee of staff and faculty members to review and strengthen all current protocols as necessary. “We have received offers of support for this effort from the New Mexico Environmental Department, specialists from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, and specialists from Los Alamos National Labs,” university President Neil Woolf said in a statement.

Woolf added that they will not reopen the building until it is safe to do so.

However, leaders from NMHealth, the New Mexico Environment Department and the New Mexico Higher Education Department are collaborating on this investigation.

“We are working diligently with our state partners to ensure that all NMHU campus facilities follow protocols and procedures related to the storage of chemical, biological and radiological materials,” said Higher Education Secretary Stephanie M. Rodriguez. “A review is underway to ensure the campus and community are not put at risk. The health and safety of all community members, students, faculty and staff must be at the forefront of all discussions and decisions at the university.”

NMHealth urges workers in the state to be aware of any occupational hazards or exposures.

“State health authorities play a critical role in investigating occupational health risks,” said Dr. Miranda Durham, NMHealth’s chief medical officer. “Illnesses or injuries resulting from suspected environmental health conditions are among the reportable diseases or conditions that hospitals and medical providers are required to report to our agency.”

“My department’s sole focus is to ensure the campus community is safe in its residence halls, offices and classrooms,” said Environment Minister James Kenney. “If our ongoing investigations reveal evidence to the contrary, we will take all necessary and legally feasible enforcement actions to bring New Mexico Highlands University back into compliance with state and federal law.”

According to NMHealth, symptoms of exposure to occupational hazards can vary depending on what type of chemical or event you were exposed to. If you have symptoms that are not life-threatening, they recommend making a doctor’s appointment and reporting it to your employer. If you have more serious symptoms, you should go to the emergency room as soon as possible.

You can report occupational environmental exposures that occur at work to the NMHealth Helpline at 1-833-796-8773.