It smells so bad; it warns one to avoid it.  But the nose grows accustomed to H₂S and the brain gets no signal as if it went away – dangerous levels have been adapted to.  Where does it come from?   The frenzy to develop energy sources leads to redevelopment of old oil fields to deliver natural gas and to “frac” fracture the earth and coal seams to liberate natural gas.

Natural gas contains rotten egg gas in quantities from 1% to 75% or more.  Hydrogen sulfide is a brain poison, I part per million (ppm) .0001% damages the human brain bit by bit over time, 5 to 50 ppm do so quickly.  Releases when ponds burp, pipes break or refineries burn may deliver bursts of 200-2000 ppm or more to workers or people downwind.  The hydrogen sulfide, H₂S must be removed from fuel or it burns to sulfur dioxide (SO₂) that severely irritates breathing.

All crude oil, coal, and natural gas contain rotten egg gas.  Oil and gas fields, refineries and gas plants must remove it so fuel can be burned.

All animal manures from cows in dairies, pigs in CAFO’s (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) chicken and turkeys release H₂S. 

Lagoons-ponds to hold manure water and land spreading liberate large quantities of H₂S. 

Human manure in sewers and septic tanks are sources of H₂S that is concentrated in sewage treatment plants. 

When dredging of ship channels and harbors pile sand and decaying seaweed on shore the same rotten egg gas is liberated.

Many communities in the USA have multiple sources of H₂S so the brains of occupants are “cooked” day and night.

Patients bring new problems.  A recent one in Jacksonville, Oregon’s historic district was from sewers, channels liberating H₂S and keeping basements moldy.  At Santa Cruz shoreline, California, H₂S released from dredging to maintain shore sand and the ship channel poisoned the occupants of beach homes.  In Monroeville, Alabama, H₂S from oil recovery and refining poisoning downwind neighbors, children, animals and water wells.  Iowa Falls, Iowa H₂S from hog farm lagoon poisoned farms as we have found previously in Dakota City, Nebraska and Paulding, Ohio.

Field Study of Hydrogen Sulfide