Janitor Ruined Decades Of Scientific Research Trying To Stop Beeping Noise

A janitor at a science lab is accused of inadvertently destroying decades of scientific research while trying to stop a constant beeping noise. A lawsuit filed by the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, against Daigle Cleaning Services said that the unnamed janitor shut off a circuit breaker that powered an industrial storage freezer that was holding cell cultures and samples related to a project to improve the development of solar panels.

With the power cut, the temperature inside the freezer rose from minus-112 degrees Fahrenheit to minus-25.6 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result of the higher temperatures, all of the samples inside the freezer were destroyed.

The lawsuit said there was a sign on the freezer door explaining how to stop the beeping noise.

"This freezer is beeping as it is under repair. Please do not move or unplug it. No cleaning required in this area," the sign said. "You can press the alarm/test mute button for 5-10 seconds if you would like to mute the sound."

The lawsuit said restarting the research project would cost at least $1 million.

"People's behavior and negligence caused all this. Unfortunately, they wiped out 25 years of research," RPI's attorney, Michael Ginsberg, told the Albany Times Union.