Manure Pits Sound Funny - Until You Die From Hydrogen Sulfide Gas

The downside to concerns about manure contaminating ground water is that, as manure pit storage to protect water has increased, so have fatalities due to toxic gas buildup. Researchers estimate that about 10 people die each year in North American animal-manure pits. That doesn't sound like a lot but the number of manure storage facilities on farms is steadily growing, because the average farm size is increasing, the number of farms is decreasing and that will mean more manure pits. These deaths are entirely preventable, it was just not a problem in the past, so Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences have published a standard for ventilation in confined animal-manure storage facilities used at large livestock operations. read more

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