Overview
- Police say the lab worker confessed after a colleague reported a foul taste in a desk water bottle and a chemical odor from lab shoes, according to a criminal complaint.
- Preliminary testing described in the complaint found a presumptive high level of chloroform in the bottle, a solvent that can damage the liver and kidneys at high exposure, and no illness was reported.
- The complaint alleges he used tiny drops of a paraformaldehyde and Trizol mix, and it says he searched ChatGPT for harmful doses despite on-screen warnings.
- Prosecutors charged him with second-degree recklessly endangering safety and tampering with a household product, and a $5,000 cash bond requires no contact with the coworker, a passport surrender, and staying away from UW labs.
- The university revoked his research privileges and all campus system access and opened a workplace investigation as the court case moves ahead.