FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit.
Friday, December 05, 2025
Wednesday, December 03, 2025
Killer compost
in last week's episode of Landman, we saw hunter fall over dead and then oil field repair men get sick and identify the problem but are rescued in time.
So what caused this?
more HERE:
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a highly toxic gas common in oil-producing regions like West Texas. Sometimes, this gas can be leaked due to aging or improperly sealed storage tanks into air during the process of oil production....
but it's not just from oil fields:
Six workers, including family members aged 17 to 50, died at a dairy farm in Keensburg, northern Colorado, in October H2S exposure in a confined space near manure piping. Investigation revealed they were handling pipes which were transferring the gas from decomposing manure destined for compost when high concentrations of the gas killed them within a few breaths. One worker collapsed first, which prompted others to enter the area to help, leading to a chain of fatalities in what experts call a tragically common but unusually large-scale event on US dairy farms.
,,,,and don't forget about the sewer problem:
I asked Grok about such deaths in poor countries but it said most deaths are probably not reported. but they did find China was honest enough to report some deaths:
h2s deaths in third world
Deaths from H2S in Third World Countries Third world means developing or low-income countries. Data on H2S deaths is poor there. Many places do not track it well. This makes exact numbers hard to find.
From reports: In India, 3 workers died from H2S on an oil rig in the sea near Bombay High in 2023. They entered a closed space with bad air. Good plans and training could have stopped it.
In Africa, high work injury rates happen in places like Ethiopia.
H2S is a risk in farms, sewers, and oil work. But no exact death count for H2S. In Asia and Africa, oil and gas jobs have H2S risks. No global count, but deaths are likely under-reported. Worldwide,
H2S kills about 7 workers a year in the US.
In poor countries, it may be more due to weak safety rules. No full stats exist. Poisons like H2S cause many deaths in low-income areas, but details are missing. Why Hard to Track? Poor countries lack good health records. Many deaths happen in remote jobs like mining or farming. Survivors may not get help.
...Worldwide, H2S kills workers in oil. In Saudi, it may be like that due to big oil fields. Poor tracking makes numbers low. Why Hard to Track? Records are not good. Many deaths in remote sites. Tests for H2S are rare after death.
so I asked about deaths in China, where there is at least some reporting on such deaths.
China has many oil, gas, and chemical jobs. H2S is a big risk there. Data is not full. Many cases are not reported well. Most deaths happen in closed spaces like sewers, tanks, or factories. Known cases: In 2003, a gas well blowout in Chongqing killed 243 people. It spread H2S over 25 km. Over 2,000 got sick. It was the worst H2S accident in China. In 2024, a factory in Shandong killed 7 workers. H2S formed in a closed tank during work. 4 others got hurt. In 2019, a chemical plant in Sichuan killed 3. H2S came from waste in a tank. In 2013, a plant in Liaoning killed 3 during repair. Bad safety let H2S escape. In 2008, a factory in Yunnan killed 6. Too much chemical made H2S gas leak. In 2004, workers in Wuxi died 2 while fixing pipes. Gas from sewage. From 2012 to now, at least 18 big H2S accidents killed 62 people. Many more small ones. Blind rescue makes deaths worse. No exact total. China has thousands of work deaths a year. H2S causes some, but tracking is poor.
