Safety alert: wired glass.

The last day that Jarred Abel could play ball normally was Jan. 28, 2001. The University of Oregon junior had joined some friends in a pickup basketball game at the campus's recreation center in Eugene. As Jarred left the gym, his left hand pressed against a pane of wired glass--and then went through it.

Abel, now 23, suffered nerve and tendon damage so severe that he can no longer fully open or close his left hand.

Such injuries are one reason wired glass has come under scrutiny. The glass is widely used as a fire-safety material because it contains flames and smoke longer than other types of glazing.

But some experts believe that wired glass has been used improperly as "safety glass" in some public buildings because it is assumed to be more impact-resistant than ordinary window glass. It's actually not as strong as some other types of window glass. Further, if a hand or leg penetrates the glass, the wire mesh can hold the limb in place, causing serious injuries.

Dennis Munroe, director of the University of Oregon's Physical Activity and Recreation Center, says that the school respected the judgment of the architects and builders when the wired glass was installed. "In hindsight, we would agree that it wasn't the best application" of wired glass, he said.

QUESTIONS

Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) records show only 9 wired-glass injuries in the past 20 years that were severe enough to require emergency-room treatment. As a result, the CPSC has been reluctant to end an exemption from mandatory impact standards that wired glass has had for some 25 years.