Lastly, continue to measure the hydrogen sulfide which is now at 1-2 ppm. If the well structure should break down more, this gas will increase and at 1000 ppm, a single breath can cause coma and death.
At 100 (parts per million) we face immediate Danger to Life and Health (IDLH) according to NIOSH.
Our NIOSH pocket guidebook tells us that the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) from OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) in parts per million for hydrogen sulfide, that we should not exceed is only 20 parts per million, for a maximum of 10 minutes.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0337.html
The major problem with this "rotten egg smell" chemical, hydrogen sulfide, is that after a while we can not smell it anymore. Our senses become detuned to it. At 150 ppm we stop smelling it. There have been quite a few drillers, who have died, because of their exposure, while working on high concentration hydrogen sulfide, hydrothermal wells (wells drilled for steam).
Call for separate benzene- monitoring meters.
So let us be careful. Take small breaths
Chris Landau
06/18/2010
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