Acute Occupational Exposure to Hydrogen Sulfide

Details

• Personal Author:
  Chalupka AN ; Chalupka S
• Description:
  Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), also known as sewer gas, swamp gas, or sour gas, is a colorless, flammable, explosive, irritant gas that acts as a systemic asphyxiant. H2S has a strong warning odor of rotten eggs, with an odor threshold at 5 ppm. However, at high concentrations (> 100 ppm), exposed workers may be unable to smell the gas due to olfactory adaptation and toxic inactivation of the first cranial nerve. Occupational exposures occur in a wide variety of sectors, including agriculture (e.g., animal waste disposal systems and manure containment areas), human sewage treatment facilities, natural gas and petroleum extraction, underground coal mining and processing, production using animal products (e.g., tanneries), sugar-beet processing, wood-pulp processing, hot-asphalt paving, on commercial fishing vessels, in fish product processing, and in the synthesis of heavy water (Sood, 2005). [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Hunting Hydrocarbons Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Animal Waste Asphalt Industry Asphyxiants Fishing Industry Gases Hydrogen Sulfide Petroleum Refineries Sewage Treatment Sewer Gas Toxic Effects Underground Mining

  More +
• ISSN:
  0891-0162
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  56
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062040
• Citation:
  AAOHN J 2008 Jul; 56(7):324
• Contact Point Address:
  Andrew N. Chalupka, Harvard Initiative for Global Health. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
• CAS Registry Number:
  Hydrogen sulfide (CAS RN 7783-06-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  AAOHN Journal - American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Journal
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:dc2ecb209a4b7ec83b9ac363d7ca01ec41c5bb3f1e7666333dca17c74899fbe584051de6758c19bebf4a27e7b5b7d9f44cf8ac15abd087e531369f1d96f70572
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225362/cdc_225362_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 498.52 KB ]