20 years of searching ruined yet the cleanest freezer cleaner | Sciences

A janitor has ruined decades of “groundbreaking” research in the US by turning off a lab refrigerator containing critical samples.

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

The cleaning specialist argued that he turned it off because there was an extremely “disturbing” alarm sound, according to a lawsuit filed by attorneys for the affected New York establishment.

Despite a sign showing how to silence the whistle, the operator reportedly disconnected the key due to a misreading.

According to the lawyers, the samples stored at -80°C are “non-recoverable”, and the damages amounted to one million US dollars (about R$4.8 million).

The university where the laboratory is located has sued the cleaning company for the employee in question as insufficiently trained.

In the lab, a great deal of research has been done on photosynthesis, led by Professor K. V. Lakshmi, who likely “pioneered” the development of solar panels, according to the institute’s lawyer.

The laboratory had a contract with the cleaning company for the amount of 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 fluctuations could be catastrophic, Professor Lakshmi “determined that the cell cultures, samples and research were not harmed,” the suit states.

Due to covid-19 pandemic restrictions at the time, it will take a week for freezer repairs.

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 5-10 seconds if you want to mute.”

But days after the alarm went off, the general contractor flipped the switch providing electricity to the freezer.

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

When the researchers caught the bug, the temperature had risen by 50 degrees, until it reached -30 degrees Celsius.

According to the lawsuit, most of the samples that were meant to be kept at -80 degrees Celsius “were compromised, damaged, and post-recovery, throwing off more than 20 years of research.”

Attorney Michael Ginsburg told NBC News that the doorman heard “disturbing alarms.”

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

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

According to the report, the cleaning company has not commented on the case.