Hydrogen Sulfide Poisoning Lawsuit

Lawsuits have been filed for people who were poisoned or killed after breathing the toxic gas Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S).

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured by the toxic gas Hydrogen Sulfide, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Toxic Chemical Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

What is Hydrogen Sulfide?

Hydrogen sulfide (also known as H2S) is a poisonous, highly-toxic, flammable, and colorless gas. It has a very strong “rotten egg” smell at low concentrations.

Smell alone is not a reliable way to detect H2S because a person loses the ability to smell H2S at high concentrations. At very high concentrations, the ability to smell H2S can be lost instantly. This is why H2S gas monitors (both fixed and personal devices) are critical.

Where Does H2S Come From?

H2S is produced by decaying organic matter in swamps, sewers, manure pits, and landfills. It is also normally found in crude oil and natural gas deposits, which is why it is a major occupational hazard for people who work in oil fields and gas refineries — particularly sour-gas fields and the oil sweetening process, which removes extra H2S.

What is the Problem?

Hydrogen sulfide is heavier than air, so it can travel along the ground and collect in low-lying areas or enclosed spaces with poor ventilation. Examples include basements, maintenance rooms, pump-houses, manholes, underground vaults, or sewer lines.

Hydrogen Sulfide — The “Knock Down Gas”

People who enter these spaces can suffer “knockdown,” where they almost immediately fall unconscious due to breathing high levels of H2S. Unless they get help, H2S can cause death within minutes due to a lack of oxygen and respiratory paralysis.

The risk of death from H2S poisoning is highest for people who work alone. This is especially a problem in the oil and gas industry, where workers may go alone to sites in remote areas to fix broken equipment or perform inspections and maintenance.

Hazards of H2S in Sour Gas Extraction

Natural gas with high concentrations of H2S is called “sour gas.” Extracting sour gas is more dangerous for workers because H2S is so poisonous. Sour gas is also highly corrosive to pipelines and other infrastructure, so more maintenance is required. Workers doing this maintenance face a high risk of H2S exposure. There is also a risk to refinery workers during the sweetening process to reduce H2S levels.

Symptoms of Low-Level H2S Poisoning

Exposure to low levels of H2S can cause irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat. This can cause difficulty breathing for some people especially those with asthma. It can also cause headaches, poor memory, tiredness, and balance problems.

Long-Term Effects of H2S Poisoning

H2S has been shown to poison the brain in studies of people who were exposed to H2S in the air from an oil and gas field.

Breathing high levels of H2S can cause loss of consciousness and long-term symptoms, such as headaches, brain damage, nerve damage, poor attention span, poor memory, and poor motor function.

Severe Symptoms of H2S Poisoning

The symptoms of H2S poisoning may include:

Loss of sense of smell
Dizziness
Nausea and vomiting
Problems breathing
“Knockdown,” stumbling, falling, loss of coordination
Unconsciousness
Coma
Death

Texas Company Fined $40K After Deadly H2S Accident

In April 2023, OSHA issued a nearly $40,000 fine against Production Waste Solutions, LLC after an employee died of hydrogen sulfide poisoning.

The accident occurred in September 2022 oil and gas waste treatment and disposal facility near Orla, Texas. Tragically, the man died after inhaling high levels of H2S while he was sucking sludge water and oil byproducts out of a sump pit, without wearing protective equipment.

OSHA Area Director Diego Alvarado issued this statement:

“This terrible loss could have been prevented if Production Waste Solutions LLC had followed established safety procedures and provided federally required training and equipment.”

The Texas-based company received 6 citations for safety violations, including exposing employees to inhalation hazards, failing to train employees on the hazards of H2S, and failure to assess the hazards of the job to determine if personal protective equipment was needed.

Oil Worker & Wife Killed in Deadly H2S Gas Leak

In March 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice and a federal grand jury in Midland, Texas indicted the Aghorn Operating after the death of an employee and his wife due to an H2S gas leak.

In October 2019, Aghorn called employee Jacob Dean to check on a pump house. Once inside, he suffered an immediate “knockdown” due to high levels of H2S gas and was killed.

Tragically, when he did not come home, his wife put their two children in the car and went to find him. As she was walking up to the pump house, she was also killed by his levels of H2S gas. Their children were unharmed because they stayed in the car.

Investigators found that the pump house had eight H2S monitors, but all of them were not working on the night of the accident. According to the indictment: “Aghorn was aware that its produced water contained high amounts of H₂S as well as the deadly nature of the gas.”

Do I have a Hydrogen Sulfide Lawsuit?

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