Posted on 01/08/2007 9:40:02 AM PST by presidio9
Mayor Bloomberg said the city does not know what the puzzling odor wafting over Manhattan and N.J. is, but "it does not appear to be dangerous."'
Hundreds of calls came in about the smell beginning at about 9 a.m. from as far south as Battery Park and east to Union Square and all the way through the West 80s on the Upper West Side. The odor also could be detected in New Jersey.
The smell disrupted some PATH transit service and prompted office buildings to evacuate.
"Our sensors do not show any high concentration of natural gas that would give us cause to be concerned," Bloomberg said at a morning press conference.
"We don't know what it is. It does not appear to be dangerous ... it may just be an unpleasant smell," he said. "The one thing we are very confident of is that it's not dangerous."
Bloomberg said investigators from the Office of Emergency Management, FDNY, NYPD, Coast Guard and other departments are probing the cause of the odor.
The mayor noted that natural gas is odorless and colorless. However, a chemical called mercaptan is added to the substance to make sure it can be detected. He said just a small amount can create an odor.
One small gas leak has been detected at Bleeker Street and Sixth Avenue, Bloomberg said, adding that it is too insignificant to have caused the widespread odor that has put the city on edge.
Consolidated Edison officials said they have more than 60 workers checking for leaks after the company received more than 700 calls about the smell, from as far north as Washington Heights to as far south as Greenwich Village
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
And I'm a retired Maintenance Mechanic/boiler operator, with a strong HVAC back ground :>} Several more possibilities even based on what you said about Mercaptan. Air handlers {for ventilation, A/C./ heat etc} are many times located on the roofs in many buildings. The article states buildings were evacuated. Makes sense. The air handlers and the elevator shafts would suck the smell right into the building. But boilers are basement dwellers the exhaust stacks however are on the roof usually. I'd check the building and nearby buildings with the biggest complaints.
One building I worked in the gas regulator went bad and would periodically blow off gas. No serious threat but precautions were taken. The valve was far enough away from the intakes it didn't suck in the Mercaptan. One other possibility too is an acid used to flush drains with. The name of it escapes me right now but it can only be used on single level buildings. Just one bottle about 16 ounces can stink up a building big time. It may not even be allowed now I'm not sure on that one.
It's been the New York Times, for the past several years. It finally reached critical mass over much of the northeastern seaboard.
Whew...Peee UUUUU!!!
Holy Air Fresheners Batman!!!
That was close!!!
LOL!!!!!
A bit more info for you. The intake and blowers would explain why most anecdotes from the scene say the smell is stronger inside buildings than outside.
See the info at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1764340/posts
Could have been like you said and at this point we'll likely never know it would be near impossible to pin down or prove if they didn't locate the source almost immediately.
I think you answered a question for me though I never could figure out. When I would get off from work some nights I'd pass a certain area on he same road same place where no matter what season I would get a nose full of what smelled like natural gas. It wasn't sewage etc as no plants were near by but it was in kind of a remote area of the city and close to a major NG pipe line. I never could pin it down to nothing and there wasn't any businesses or building close by.
I worked twenty years selling propane, which uses the same odorant, ethyl mercaptan used in natural gas. Incredibly smelly, we added one pound per 10,000 gallons by state law. I recall, several years back, south Memphis, trade papers showed the guys in the space suits swarming over a gas plant, only to find the valve on a drum of mercaptan was dripping.
Straight mercaptan will knock a buzzard off a gut wagon, but aside from making you heave if it's too strong, long-term harmless.
This was the first thing that came to my mind. The stuff is sold in one pound cans, could be a merry prankster having fun.
it's called RamOut-i used it once on the second floor of my house and had all the windows open and an exhaust fan on and it stank the place up beyond belief(however it did a great job on the drain problem)-i think it's non-USP grade sulfuric aacid
Most places use a low PH chemical agent now to eat through clogs especially in health care facilities where fumes can be an issue. Really though if you wanna get the job done fast just use a 5 gallon shop vac instead. No joke it works better and quicker than any plumbers friend and most chemicals.
I'm sure it's the sign, er ah, smell of the times. The democrats are in charge, and it didn't take long for them to stink it up all over again. Or, maybe Hillary was back in town.
Bloomberg is such a an idiot. He might as well say he is Dem in sheeps clothing.
What's the follow-up on this?
Did anyone watch his performance this morning? He will be a disaster in a disaster.
You are so right. Everytime I watch him I feel so sorry for the city of NY. He makes my skin crawl.
As pointed out here in the past, Bloomberg is worse than a RINO; he's a ROC (Republican of convenience)! There seem to be no identifiable Republicans appointed by him to top NYC jobs, despite the fact he won election twice on the GOP line.
I wouldn't be shocked if he returned to his 'Rat roots formally after his term as mayor is up.
a shop vac?never thought of it-thanks
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