[californiadisasters] Re: Earthquake Didn't Cause Mystery Stink in San Diego Area

Natural Gas is methane, sometimes with a percentage of ethane occuring naturally. The odorant added is usually ethyl mercaptan, methyl mercaptan or butyl mercaptan. Gas in high pressure mains has somewhat less odorant added with additional mercaptans added at the regulating stations where pressure is reduced for local mains.

Several years ago in Massachusetts there were a number a large number of reported "gas leaks" in eastern Massachusetts near Boston. Fire departments were testing for natural gas all over the area and finding no measurable levels of natural gas. As I recall the final opinion was that a truck carrying one of the mercaptans had a leaking tank but that the truck/company was never identified.

When I first read this story about San Diego my first thought was could it be a truck carrying something bad smelling traveling through the area.

Note re mercaptans: once in my city we had a lab spill of less than an ounce and the entire neighborhood smelled as if there was a high concentration of natural gas.

--- In californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com, newnethboy <kef413@...> wrote:
>
> Does methane have a smell? Or is it like natural gas (which as a chemical
> added to make it stink, as a safety feature)?
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Kim Noyes" <kimnoyes@...>
> To: "CaliforniaDisasters" <californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com>;
> "California's Earthquake Forum"
> <californiasearthquakeforum@yahoogroups.com>; "Geology2"
> <geology2@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2011 9:16 PM
> Subject: [californiadisasters] Earthquake Didn't Cause Mystery Stink in San
> Diego Area
>
>
> > Earthquake didn't cause mystery stink in San Diego areaBy Gary Robbins
> > San Diego Union Tribune
> > August 18, 2011
> :
> :
> :
> Some readers suggested that
> > methane could be the cause of the mystery. "There are no significant known
> > deposits of methane in San Diego," Rockwell said.
>

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