DESTINED TO HEAVEN,LANDING INTO HELL-THE MERCAPTANT AURA

Is inhaling mercaptan bad for you in the long run? Bad as in carcinogenic? I just realized that the epoxy cement I use for some of my mini projects have that stuff in it and directions are to keep away from inhaling it. Duh. But when you apply cement to plastic parts, the odor is present. I wonder what the OSHA says about epoxy and mercaptan.

Thank you Stecve.S for the reply post.

The odour menace of gas is very well felt. Cities like Bangalore exhibit moderate temperatures and being cool most of the years. The very reason for odour sustinance . May be members from Bagnalore will be able to consolidate to my observations.

As you have rightly said the leakage is an important considerations. Here many of the Maruthi Omni vans fixed with gas conversions for TAXI purposes and after closing the doors one got to live with the mixed gas and mercaptan smell. I am sure I made no exaggerations. The gas engine converted auto's in Bangalore are large numbered and should be one the main reason-LEAKAGES. The thing is people got used to it.

Leak detection system is a safety need. The direct burning at home makes a difference between engine combuston, if I am right.Can we think of alternate smell free detection systems. Is there any new developments or implementations?

The OP is quite long on vague worry-wart language and quite short on expository language with useful engineering and toxicology data. The all-caps headline didn't help, either.

The MSDS didn't show teratogenic, mutagenic, or carcinogenic, as I recall. The odor threshold is 1.6 ppb, the PEL-OSHA is 10 ppm, the TLV ACGIH is 0.5 ppm, and the IDLH is 150 ppm. Because this chemical can be smelled WAY below dangerous levels, it is self-alarming. Because the odor is disagreeable, no one remains around dangerous concentrations unless they are trapped by an industrial-scale release, which might happen in paper mills, sewage plants, or LPG facilities in which methyl mercaptan is intentionally added as a leak-indicating odorant. Occupational casualties have been quite low (but not zero). Further observation could change this, but for now it looks like the alarmist variety of bad "environmental engineering."

Thanks, that's good info !

Tornado,

Thank you for the information. Methyl mercaptan is a toxic gas as per literature and the threshold limits had been standardized in many countries. As Steve,S had put up, the leakage part should be causing the menace.

Smell detection by another smelling gas could be a good idea. When converted auto population is very high the net effect seems augmented.

Can technology think of still better options?