What does "the stopper on the syringe came undone" mean????

There are no stoppers on a syringe??? Do they mean plunger not  
stopper??   Was the plunger completely pulled out??


On Jan 5, 2009, at 12:21 PM, List Moderator wrote:

> http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2009/jan/01/research-assistant-burned-chemical-fire/
>
> Research assistant burned in chemical fire
>
> written by Anna Andersen
> Published: Thursday, January 1, 2009
> A 22-year-old research assistant at UCLA remains in stable condition  
> after a chemical fire left her with second- and third-degree burns  
> on 40 percent of her body on Monday.
>
> The victim, whose identity has not been revealed, was working with T- 
> Butyl lithium, a pyrophoric compound which caught on fire when it  
> was exposed to air, said James Gibson, director of UCLA Environment,  
> Health and Safety.
>
> While she was extracting the compound, the stopper on the syringe  
> came undone and exposed the chemical to air.
>
> Gibson said he did not know how the stopper came undone but said the  
> syringe was found melted.
>
> "This kind of accident is very rare," he added.
>
> The fire, which occurred in the Molecular Science Building, was  
> reported at 2:57 p.m., according to a report by Melissa Kelley, a  
> spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. A fellow research  
> assistant was able to put the fire out with water before the fire  
> department arrived, and there was no structural damage to the  
> building.
>
> The victim has since been transferred to the Grossman Burn Center in  
> Sherman Oaks and remains in stable condition, Gibson said.
>

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