MIT Faces $175k Fine for Smoking Package Found in Medford FedEx Plant

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology faces a hefty fine for improperly packaging hazardous materials that caught fire in a FedEx facility in Medford in 2009.

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a $175,000 fine against MIT for violating Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Regulations, according to the press release from the FAA.

A Seattle-bound package containing 33 electronic devices shipped by the institute on Aug. 25, 2009 was flaming and smoking when it passed along a conveyor belt at the FedEx sorting facility on Cabot Road in Medford, according to the release.

The devices contained lithium batteries, which are considered hazardous material, but the university did not label the package as hazardous, and submitted an airbill with the shipment that specifically said it did not contain dangerous goods, according to the release.

Two of the devices had apparently overheated and melted, causing the cushioning and packaging to catch fire.

The institute also failed to properly train employees on how to handle hazardous material, according to the FAA.

MIT has 30 days to respond to the proposed fine.