Gray Matter: A Foil Boat Floating On An Invisible Sea

That is a sad tragedy that has been repeated many times. Silo, manure storage, well pits, well drilling, septic tanks, mines, sewage plants, and sewer systems have all been know to release gases that can kill people. As a former business owner in the water well industry, we were obligated to provide training in confined space entry and part of that training meant we have meters that could detect hazardous gases.

In the water well industry methane is the most common gas encountered but H2S is often another danger. Sometimes a well rig would encounter a pocket of gas that could be ignited by the drill action. Drillers had to be aware of the areas they were drilling. I have known wells that release excess amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). The potential for CO2 to kill is often underestimated. In the winter a well pit has been known to fill with CO2 and even kill workers entering the well pit. Well pits are now mostly outlawed but still exist. Often a pump house is build directly over the well so as to encompass all parts of the water system. That is a grave mistake in my estimation.

Maybe the demo with SF6 is appropriate to point out the problem to educate a naive public.