ETH Zurich will evacuate part of its central campus on Sunday, 7 June, while a specialised team removes a potentially dangerous chemical substance left over from earlier research. The precautionary operation is being organised with Zurich cantonal police and will trigger temporary road closures and transport restrictions in the area around the university.
The substance is chlorotrifluoride in a gas cylinder, a highly reactive chemical that the ETH used in the past for rock analysis.
According to the cantonal authorities, the cylinder has been stored in a restricted laboratory, and experts say there is no acute danger. Even so, officials have opted for a tightly controlled removal because the material requires especially careful handling.
The evacuation zone covers the area between Leonhardstrasse, Tannenstrasse, Universitätsstrasse, Sonneggstrasse and Weinbergfussweg.
Anyone planning to be near central ETH Zurich on 7 June should expect disruption.
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Several ETH Zurich Buildings Will Remain Shut For The Day
The following ETH buildings will remain closed and cannot be accessed on this day: CLA, CLD, CLT, EKZ, LEE, LEO, ML, ML-FHK, MLY, NO (including focusTerra), NW and TAN.
The operation is scheduled to run from 10 am to 4.30 pm, and some streets will be closed temporarily while others will see traffic diversions. Several ETH buildings will remain shut for the day, including parts of the central campus, and resident students and visiting academics in nearby housing will need to leave during the operation window.
The area around the ETH is busy on a normal Sunday, and the security perimeter will affect local traffic, nearby businesses and people living in the immediate vicinity. The authorities say affected residents have already been informed directly, and emergency and rescue services will be on hand throughout the operation.
The disposal is also a reminder of the long tail of research activity at major universities. Materials used years ago in labs can remain a public-safety issue long after projects end, especially when they involve rare compounds with extreme reactivity.
ETH says the substance will be removed by a specialised company and that the campus should return to normal from Monday, 8 June.
