Be Aware of H2S!

[sheep newbee]

Just wanted to share my new hunting experience. Last weekend I drove to a well site access just to find out a big new gate right at the access turn off to the main PDR. There was a sign on the gate that states DANGER H2S in case of emergency call 1-800-....and so on. I had seen so many of these signs, in fact you can find them almost on every lease. Didn't pay attention to it but I had no choice. So I turned around and drove 400-500 hundred meters down the road, passed an old lease, found a hidden trail that loops back to that gated access road. Drove a bit on the trail, started to see wet spots, decided to park the truck and continue on foot. After a few minutes of walking I saw fresh tracks, got excited and continued on the trail, walked in a dip on the trail and a bit of breeze blew. All of sudden I found no force in my legs, close to collapse, chest was burning and I was dizzy, wanted to throw up. I used every force that was left in me and ran uphill, I was running for my life. My only goal was to get to the truck, drive to the main road so I could be at least found. Luckily it was less than lethal doze of H2S and I ended up just coughing all day. On the way back to town I was thinking how stupid I was, I should have known better, I've been working in the oil patch for the past three years and have the H2S alive ticket but didn't appreciate the severity of the situation.

So here is the lesson for those who come from South to Fort St.John area and start driving on these access roads. Believe me or not I saw a bunch of hunters camped on a compressor site in chicken creek area.

Many of you might have heard the term "dead man lease" or similar names. BE AWARE!

[Jagermeister]

I guess Wiebo Ludwig is correct in telling us that the gas companies are killing us.

I think you were very lucky to make your way back. If you didn't smell it, then you were exposed to more than 10ppm and that was not in a confined area. Makes you wonder how high the concentration is at the well head?

I was hunting near a well site west Wonown in the late '70s and there was a strong odour of the gas. We backed away and gave well heads a side berth after that.

The rotten egg odour of H2S is detected by the human nose at less then 10ppm. A lethal concentration is purported to be 100ppm although the tolerance level varies with each individual so a lethal dose can be more or less for that individual.

Ironically, most of the research on hydrogen sulphide has been conducted by the Russians, go figure.

Another rotten egg smelling gas is methyl mercaptain, CH3Sh.

The funny thing for me is that when I have been exposed to CH3SH, I get a headache and the tendons on the backside of the neck tense up long before I detect the odour providing the concentration is low.

Either gas are present in many different situations besides well sites.

This is an excellent post Sheep Newbee. I am sure most would not even give well heads a second thought to the hazard they present.

[yamadirt 426]

Never heard of it. Thanks !

[Doe See Doe]

You can get an H2S detector that you wear.
It's small, only about 1 1/2 inches square.
Lasts about 2 years, then chuck it and get a new one.

[Slinky Pickle]

Did you report the leak to anyone?

[thepitchedlink]

Remember!! for those that have H2S training, the first sense to "go" after getting even a mild does of H2S is smell...and for those that don't have any training....the first sense to be affected is SMELL!!! You cannot smell a lethal dose. You must not believe that you will smell the gas before it gets you, b/c if the concentration is high enough, your ability to smell the H2S will degrade quickly. If you smell rotten eggs, but keep going and the smell appears to go away, it could be b/c your sense of smell is failing, not b/c it's the gas is going away. You can probably buy one of those disposible detectors for 100-150$, i think they are good for 3 months.....same as the hunting season. That's 1 1/2 tanks of gas these days.....
To the OP, glad you are alright....sounds like you where very close to getting your name in the paper. Definaly call that in to the lease operator

[blink1]

iam suprised you didnt smell it it has a rotten egg smell and have smelt it before

[Big Lew]

I rode a bicycle through that area, along the Alaskan Hwy. in 2001 and saw those signs on pretty near every side road or trail. I had to camp each evening, and was really worried, so I camped on high ground and close to the highway. Stayed right away from any depressions. Didn't have any problems, and after reading about your experience, I'm glad I took those precautions. There have been deaths directly related to h2s poisoning in north-eastern B.C., and several 'knock-downs' each year, but there is no way of knowing how many people have been effected or sickened as you were....pretty scary situation, especially considering the increasing amount of tourism etc. exploring northern B.C.

[Amphibious]

i am surprised you didn't smell it it has a rotten egg smell and have smelt it before


only in very low concentrations. I hope you reported the leak and had yourself checked out at a hospital asap. the health risks from a hit that affected your equilibrium and CNS will last longer then the symptoms.

[835]

What is it for?

[lovemywinchester]

Scary story!! Glad you made it out of there. So the land there is poisoned forever? It's true that we won't stop raping the land until we are all dead from poisoning or lack of food. Hey I have a great idea, lets put a oil pipeline down the length of the Skeena River. What could go wrong.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Thanks for the heads up.

Does anyone know if animals are affected the same as humans?

SSS

[MillBay]

"Does anyone know if animals are affected the same as humans?"

Same thing I was going to ask. You think it would have the same affect on them.

[lunatic]

What is it for?

It is not "for" anything. It is a naturally occuring gas that living organisms including humans produce through the ingestion and metabolism of sulphur containing materials. It occurs in many industries other than the Oil and Gas industry such as pulp and paper, landfills, sewage treatment plants, farms, and others.


"Does anyone know if animals are affected the same as humans?"

Same thing I was going to ask. You think it would have the same affect on them.


Yes, it affects animals the same as it affects humans. It is an extremely dangerous gas hence the large warning signs. Never ignore these signs as they are there for a reason. Obviously this wellsite has a problem which should be reported immediately. It is not as though the O&G industry just lets this stuff spew into the atmosphere indiscriminately.

[835]

Thanks Lunatic,
interesting stuff.

[MRBucks]

Yes, it affects animals the same as it affects humans.

You think the Ministry would be all over this if animals are dying from it.
Perhaps animals have some extra sense of this gas that prevents massive kill offs?

[Amphibious]

You think the Ministry would be all over this if animals are dying from it.
Perhaps animals have some extra sense of this gas that prevents massive kill offs?

they are all over it. active wells are checked regularly. the area i work in, daily.

[Rock Doctor]

It's a dangerous gas for sure, but lets not blow it all out of proportion. We are not all going to get killed driving down gas line row's. H2s has a strong odor at less than 1ppm (PPM = Parts per Million)
You can work in 8ppm of H2s for 10hrs
You can work in 10ppm of H2s for 8hrs
You can work in 15ppm of H2s for 15 min
200ppm will eventually cause death, but it's far from instant

Some of the sights I work at have 0 H2s, some have over 3% H2s in the gas (That's 30,000 PPM), and you will have to trust me when I say I've been in my fair share of leaks (in confined spaces and outside). I did a "half" draw on a Dreger (Gas detector) the other day, and got a reading of 1,600 ppm


Scary story!! Glad you made it out of there. So the land there is poisoned forever? It's true that we won't stop raping the land until we are all dead from poisoning or lack of food. Hey I have a great idea, lets put a oil pipeline down the length of the Skeena River. What could go wrong.

No, the land is fine, and probably shows NO sign of damage.


Thanks for the heads up.

Does anyone know if animals are affected the same as humans?

SSS

Yes, it would and does effect animals the same as us, but having a leak that can contaminate that large of an area, with that high of a dose, outside of a confined space is a REALLY big leak, OR it's a leak that is accumulating into a low spot.

RD

[pappy]

Rock doctor is right, when you take the H2s course they teach you all that you need to know. That includes rescue and helping bring people back from the effects. I have have worked on wells with very high percent ratings. Companies teach workers every precaution needed to ensure safety as they don't want w.c.b. investigations and their opperations to hit the news papers. Definately report this to the company so they can look into the source of the problem and its good to hear you made it out o.k.

[sheep newbee]

I like to thank everyone for their input. I see this thread has served its purpose :"raise awareness". I just wanted to draw fellow hunters' attention to the risk involved. Many of us including myself learn a lesson in a hard way, and what a shitty way to learn.

[nwalter]

Best to tell everyone as well is this gas is slightly heavier then air but minimal so it pools and walking through pools stirs it up. after 15ppm you can not (or close to) smell the rotten egg smell. This gas also dissolves in fluids and agitation of the fluid will release it. What makes it deadly it is displaces the oxygen in your lungs and poisons you. if you do smell it and know of a gas line/compressor station, note your wind direction and walk up wind asap. There is a number at the entrance to the location to call in the event of this sort of thing.

Oh and one other thing try to stay clear of low lying areas or spots that are burmed in. Stay out of buildings on locations as you never know, H2S eats metal causing equipment to fail if not maintained properly.
Always go with someone else and understand that if you see someone collapse assess the area first cause if they went down from H2S, you being the hero to go in and get that person will just increase the body count

OP you are a very lucky guy that didnt put you down on the spot

835 - H2S is a by product caused from decaying organic matter. Found in many places but a lot of times it is attached to Oil and Gas. Concentrations are generally low(but still potentially deadly).

[Slinky Pickle]

sheep newbee... you still have not said whether you reported this or not. If you haven't yet, please do so. H2S leaks are not "common" or "normal" and they need to be dealt with. The next guy might not be so lucky.

[msawyer]

I have been gased on two occassion and once came within 5 minutes of being killed in a H2S pipeline rupture (but that's another storey). H2S is a very toxic substance, a neurotoxin that, amoungst other effects, very quickly shuts down the autonomic nervous system (ie you suffocate). There are a wide range of health effects and if you are exposed and have any symptoms, you should seek medical aid, if only to document the matter. The problem is that the body metabolizes H2S very quickly and even if a victim is examined by a physicain within hours of the exposure, it is near impossible to prove the person inhaled H2S... This leads to often demonstrated oil and gas industry refrain of "nay, nay, nay... you can't prove it"...

Doesn't anyone wonder why we should be subjected to these risks on our public lands, or on our own lands and in our homes, to support the unbelievable profits of these miostly foriegn multi-national corporations?

Why is it always about the money?

Best regards

Mike Sawyer

[sheep newbee]

sheep newbee... you still have not said whether you reported this or not. If you haven't yet, please do so. H2S leaks are not "common" or "normal" and they need to be dealt with. The next guy might not be so lucky.
yes I did call Oil and Gas commission and 1-800 number in Victoria. I gave them the location so they can closely investigate it. As for fellow hunters the general area is Lower Cache. I just found out that this area is known for its sour gas.

[lunatic]

I have been gased on two occassion and once came within 5 minutes of being killed in a H2S pipeline rupture (but that's another storey). H2S is a very toxic substance, a neurotoxin that, amoungst other effects, very quickly shuts down the autonomic nervous system (ie you suffocate). There are a wide range of health effects and if you are exposed and have any symptoms, you should seek medical aid, if only to document the matter. The problem is that the body metabolizes H2S very quickly and even if a victim is examined by a physicain within hours of the exposure, it is near impossible to prove the person inhaled H2S... This leads to often demonstrated oil and gas industry refrain of "nay, nay, nay... you can't prove it"...

Doesn't anyone wonder why we should be subjected to these risks on our public lands, or on our own lands and in our homes, to support the unbelievable profits of these miostly foriegn multi-national corporations?

Why is it always about the money?

Best regards

Mike Sawyer


More "conspiracy theories" hey MS? sheeesh!

[daycort]

After taking the course about a billion times and having to work around it for the last 17 years I have been in no danger. I have worked in sweet gas and sour gas fields (as high as 18% h2S). Signs are used for a reason. And it does not have to be sour gas that can harm ya, sweet gas can do it just as fast. Remember the old sayng" never put your finger where you wouldn't put your di*k". common sense people. We just don't use signs that say poisionus gas to be jerks, it is for public safety. If ya see a sign and a active lease I would stay off of it.

The guys in my experience that get hurt are the ones that are scared shitless from the course they give ya and end up doing something stupid in the field before protecting themselves.

Odds are probably higher to get mauled by a grizzly then to get gassed while hunting around the north country.