Two young men are dead after being overcome by hydrogen sulfide gas while working on a well inside a Clyde Township home, according to local officials.
St. Clair County deputies were called Tuesday to the 3900 block of Cribbins Road, where they reported a strong chemical odor as they arrived. Inside the recently purchased house, officers found a 21-year-old Clyde Township resident and a 20-year-old from Riley Township unconscious. Both had been working on a well at the property. Emergency crews rushed them to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
The St. Clair County Sheriff's Office said deputies immediately recognized the chemical smell and located the men inside the home. First responders were later decontaminated at a hospital, according to CBS Detroit. Authorities told the outlet that the family had only recently bought the house and that the men had been working on the well when something went catastrophically wrong. The investigation into exactly what produced the gas is ongoing.
How Hydrogen Sulfide Can Turn Fatal
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a colorless gas that smells like rotten eggs and can be deadly when the concentration is high enough. Even brief exposure to high levels can knock a person out and stop their breathing. A scientific review notes that elevated H2S levels can paralyze the respiratory center and cause rapid asphyxia, while lower exposures are more likely to bring on eye and breathing irritation, headaches, and nausea, according to Environmental Health Perspectives.
Local Concerns About the Gas
State agencies have tracked hydrogen sulfide in parts of St. Clair County before, including air sampling around the Smiths Creek landfill, and have warned that people might smell the gas even when measured levels are below thresholds of health concern, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services also lists common H2S symptoms and cautions that persistent or high-level exposure can lead to more serious illness, as outlined by MDHHS.
Investigation and Safety Guidance
The sheriff's office has said the effort to determine what produced the gas at the home is still underway and has urged residents to steer clear of the area while investigators work, according to CBS Detroit. Public health and workplace safety guidance recommends that anyone who suspects hydrogen sulfide treat the situation as a hazardous materials incident, clear people from enclosed spaces, and leave any confined-space entry to trained HazMat teams, as outlined by NIOSH.
