what state?
These poor guys were trying to work. Sounds like an awful job.
Let me guess. It was two females. Am I right?
Just a sad story to read.
We are just a over week past the 30th anniversary of the Hamlet, NC chicken processing plant fire in 1991. 25 people were killed in that one.
“What happens if you inhale hydrogen sulfide?
Symptoms of acute exposure include nausea, headaches, delirium, disturbed equilibrium, tremors, convulsions, and skin and eye irritation. Inhalation of high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide can produce extremely rapid unconsciousness and death.”
If you need to wear a monitor in that area it’s probably too late when it goes off. Sounds like they really needed constant supply air masks not alarms. Prayers for the family’s.
I work at a plating plant. A man was inside a tank cleaning it out and dropped dead because he mixed 2 chemicals together which caused an odorless deadly gas. 3 other men died trying to save each other.
https://www.osha.gov/hydrogen-sulfide/hazards
Concentration
(ppm)
Symptoms/Effects
0.00011-0.00033
Typical background concentrations
0.01-1.5
Odor threshold (when rotten egg smell is first noticeable to some). Odor becomes more offensive at 3-5 ppm. Above 30 ppm, odor described as sweet or sickeningly sweet.
2-5
Prolonged exposure may cause nausea, tearing of the eyes, headaches or loss of sleep. Airway problems (bronchial constriction) in some asthma patients.
20
Possible fatigue, loss of appetite, headache, irritability, poor memory, dizziness.
50-100
Slight conjunctivitis (”gas eye”) and respiratory tract irritation after 1 hour. May cause digestive upset and loss of appetite.
100
Coughing, eye irritation, loss of smell after 2-15 minutes (olfactory fatigue). Altered breathing, drowsiness after 15-30 minutes. Throat irritation after 1 hour. Gradual increase in severity of symptoms over several hours. Death may occur after 48 hours.
100-150
Loss of smell (olfactory fatigue or paralysis).
200-300
Marked conjunctivitis and respiratory tract irritation after 1 hour. Pulmonary edema may occur from prolonged exposure.
500-700
Staggering, collapse in 5 minutes. Serious damage to the eyes in 30 minutes. Death after 30-60 minutes.
700-1000
Rapid unconsciousness, “knockdown” or immediate collapse within 1 to 2 breaths, breathing stops, death within minutes.
1000-2000
Nearly instant death
Nasty stuff
Shouldn’t require any kind of special monitor for H2S: it’s characteristic odor is rotten eggs...
I think I’ve been to that plant. The smell was awful.
Rendering is useful, but unpleasant and dangerous.