(Image credit: Shutterstock)According to news reports, three men died in Ohio this week from breathing in the fumes after they entered a manure pit.According to KDKA, the men were brothers who had entered the manure pit in order to fix a pump. KDKA reported that they were unconscious from the fumes and fell into the pit. First responders discovered them Tuesday, August 10, according to KDKA. They were both rescued and taken to the local hospitals. According to Insider, all three men died in the hospital on that day.Manure pits are used to store animal manure for fertilizer. They can produce deadly toxic gases. According to the National Agricultural Safety Database, (NASD), hydrogen sulfide and methane are all products of decomposing manure. These gases can pose a danger to animals and humans at high levels.Related: What is Tear Gas?Hydrogen sulfide is the most dangerous. According to NASD, hydrogen sulfide can cause irritation of the eyes and throat at low levels. Exposure to moderate levels can cause headaches, nausea, and dizziness. NASD states that the gas can paralyze nerve cells and cause a loss in smell as the concentrations increase. A person cannot rely on their nose for dangerously high levels hydrogen sulfide.The levels of hydrogen sulfuride in the pit can rapidly rise when it is stirred or pumped. This can cause unconsciousness and can reach as high as 500 parts per million (ppm). According to NASD, breathing hydrogen sulfide at levels higher than 600 ppm can lead to death within a matter of seconds.The ammonia found in manure pits may cause irritation of the eyes and throats, wheezing, and shortness or breath.Additionally, methane as well as carbon dioxide can cause death by displacement of oxygen in enclosed spaces, leading to asphyxiation.Safety precautions must be taken by anyone who enters manure pits. These precautions include using a gas meter to test the gas level before entering or wearing a SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) and a safety helmet. According to NASD, it is also essential that rescuers trapped in a manure hole wear protective equipment.SCBA protection equipment is not required for rescuers. There is a high chance that they will succumb to toxic gases or lack thereof. According to the NASD, there have been many instances in which farmers were killed trying to rescue someone from a pit or other facility.Website states that you should treat a manure pit like a death trap.Original publication on Live Science
