Entering a Toxic Enviroment

Hello, today I am writing my second blog for OHS 4500. This blog is all about entering a toxic environment. Another point about this blog is the methane gas leak in Los Angelas.

If you are a newbie to the whole occupational hygiene and safety area. You would literally have no idea about any of the factors that need to be taken into account before entering such a dangerous and deadly environment. People are trained and spend countless hours of hard work just so they know what to do in certain situations dealing with toxic substances. A random person who has no idea what they are doing could go into a situation blind and end up in the hospital because he wasn’t prepared. Like I was saying earlier there are certain factors that have to be take into account when entering a toxic place. One of the main things is what kind of toxicity are you dealing with? Certain substances have different levels of toxicity. Different levels of toxicity can determine if it is toxic enough to kill a person, or it will just harm them and maybe make them sick. Something else that has to due with toxicity is the personal protective equipment you have to wear when you are entering the toxic environment. If the levels of toxicity are low less personal protective equipment is required. The next thing I am going to talk to you about is the Los angelas Methane Leak. The massive Methane gas leak in Southern California, which seeped natural gas into Los Angeles county air from late October to early February, is officially the worst methane leak in U.S. history. Before it was sealed Feb 11, the well blowout at the Aliso Canyon underground storage facility owned by the Southern California Gas Co. emitted close to 100,000 metric tons of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. While methane is considered benign toward human health, the report conducted an independent survey of other hazardous chemicals, such as benzene, which also can be released during a well blowout. Look at this from a random person’s standpoint. Say you were a first responder and you hear about a huge methane leak that is destroying the ozone layer and our environment. What are your first plans for action? What I would do personally is call the place where the methane leak is located. I would ask them questions. These questions could vary anywhere from what do they think started the leak to are any of your workers suffering from symptoms due to the leaks. Then I would survey the area around the leak. Environmental and geographical factors can play a big role in toxic situations like this. Another thing you must think about is what PPE are you wearing. Methane is very deadly because it is an asphyxiate. That means that it blocks oxygen from entering our bodies leading to suffocation.  You will most likely have to wear a self-contained breathing apparatus and a fully encapsulated suit.  Entering toxic environments involves many controversial factors that can lead to life or death, It’s all about planning.

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