From:
Ralph Froehlich <rfroehlich**At_Symbol_Here**HELIXENV.COM>
Subject:
Re: [DCHAS-L] [*Newsletter*] [DCHAS-L] Luling Texas and Hydrogen sulfide
Date:
Dec 5, 2024 18:21 UTC
Reply-To:
ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID:
<F3222A23-ED54-4C3E-9BAD-F002ECD57956**At_Symbol_Here**helixenv.com>
In-Reply-To:
<C36B0FD8-A07E-41A1-8413-114E6C3FA295**At_Symbol_Here**chem.ucla.edu>
Joe:
Hydrogen sulfide is a well-known hazard in oilfields, and has caused numerous human casualties which are well-described in the air pollution literature. Not only do oil wells produce H2S, but it has been used to flush out oil from the wells, resulting in surface releases which can impact nearby residences. H2S can also cause olfactory fatigue, which impairs a person’s ability to detect the normally foul odors of H2S after a short period of exposure. Since a fatigued person can no longer smell the sulfurous odor, he/she may no longer attempt to flee from the exposure, resulting in death.
If’s not unexpected that H2S continues to be an issue in Texas, long known for protecting its oil industry.
Ralph A. Froehlich, CIH, CSP, QEP
Helix Environmental, Inc.
(937) 776-8435 cell
On Dec 5, 2024, at 11:08 AM, Craig Merlic <merlic**At_Symbol_Here**CHEM.UCLA.EDU> wrote:
Joe,
An excellent news article on this is at:
And the technical paper is at:
Craig
Craig A. Merlic
Professor of Chemistry, UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Executive Director, UC Center for Laboratory Safety
I have a friend who lives in Luling Texas and it has been reported that the hydrogen sulfide levels may exceed 300 ppm in the air at times, without the authorities doing anything. Has anyone had experiences with the oil industry and the release of methane and hydrogen sulfide in the air?
Who can the people contact? Would the chemSafety Board be a palace to start?
