Nearly 700 lab animals die after power outage

Mice, rats, rabbit succumb to 105-degree temps in Ohio State facility

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updated 9:26 p.m. ET July 15, 2006

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Hundreds of laboratory mice and rats died when a power outage at Ohio State University produced sent room temperatures soaring as high as 105 degrees, the school said.

Power in six buildings on the medical campus went out Wednesday evening when an electrical generator failed. In one building, 598 mice, 90 rats and one rabbit died.

A second generator was offline because of a renovation project, so there was no backup, university research official Douglas Kniss said. When power was restored, the heat came on in some areas, he said.

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“Temperature ranges went from the 80s in a couple of rooms to as high as 105 in one room,” Kniss said.

About 21 projects involving research into epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, cancer and cardiovascular disease were affected, Kniss said. Some researchers had been working on their projects for years, he said.