The document discusses hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a toxic gas with industrial applications, outlining its properties, health hazards, and government regulations for workplace exposure. It highlights the need for protective measures due to the gas's harmful effects, including eye and respiratory irritation, and even death at high concentrations. Recommendations are made to limit H2S exposure in workplaces to 10ppm to protect worker health.

1. PHL 317.81
25 July 2016
Question 5
Summer B (Jn-Au) 2016
Question 5
Due: 3 August 2016
In “A Few Words on Non-Intervention,” J. S. Mill (46) writes
about a drawing of distinctions between civilized and barbaric
peoples. (577 ++) Also, he continues on with the obligations
that the country intervening in the affairs of another incurs.
What are these distinctions and obligations?
Running Head: CHEMICAL RESEARCH PAPER
1
CHEMICAL RESEARCH PAPER
12
Chemical Research Paper
Name
Institution
Table Contents
31.0 Abstract
31.0Introduction

2. 42.0 H2S Properties
53.0 Common Use
64.0 Exposure and Health Effects
85.0 Government Regulation
96.0 Control Method
107.0 Case Studies
108.0 Conclusion
109.0 Recommendation
1110.0 References
CHEMICAL RESEARCH PAPER
1.0 Abstract
Hydrogen sulfide gas has gained a lot of industrial usage in the
current times. This has left many people especially those
working in such firms to be exposed to the dangers that come
with this gas that is largely poisonous hence the need to ensure
that the people working in such environments are provided with
the personal protective equipment to shield them from the
harmful effects of the gas given that their organizational roles
keeps them in contact with this gas. This chemical research
paper narrows down to the properties of this particular gas, its
health hazards for those exposed to it, the common usage of this
gas and its regulation by the government within the working
environment. This report is very central given that numerous
death have resulted from workers being exposed to the toxic
effects of this gas hence the need to highlight the core features
of this gas and make recommendations that if adopted with the
relevant organizations will save lives.
2.0 Introduction
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gas that naturally occurs in hot
springs, crude petroleum, and even natural gas. This gas is
usually produced by the breakdown of organic materials
commonly found in wastes of human and animals by bacteria.
Some of the activities that commonly result to the production of
hydrogen sulfide gas include treatment of wastewater, drilling

3. and even refining of petroleum or natural gas (Occupational
Safety and Health Administration, 2016).
Aside from being in a form of gas, hydrogen sulfide may also
exist as a gas, which is compressed to become a liquid. It is
commonly found in places which are enclosed and have poor
ventilation because it travels along the ground as a result of its
heavier weight than air. Some of the common locations of
hydrogen sulfide include basements, and sewer lines
(Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2016).
H2S is becoming public concern, especially because enormous
number of industries useH2S in their manufacture. Hence,
enormous numbers of workers are exposed to it. In this report I
am going to thoroughly explain H2S properties, common use of
H2S, health effects, and the government regulation of H2S in
workplace. In addition to this, the methods to control and limit
H2S exposure, case study, and finally conclusion are captured
in this paper.
Hydrogen sulfide gas is on the structured product labeling list
(SPL) due to the fact that it is necessary to provide the
information concerning this product to alert the buyers of what
they are buying and the contents therein. This is a fundamental
aspect of product information that the consumers or those who
use the product are entitled to for the purpose of observing all
the precautionary measures while handling the gas which has
health hazards if not handled as per the guidelines of the
manufacturers.
2.0 H2S Properties
Similar to other compounds, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) also has
different properties and components. Based on its chemical
family, hydrogen sulfide is a part of the group of inorganic gas
or inorganic sulfide. It is physically colorless; however it can
be seen as a liquid at extremely low temperatures or extremely

4. high pressures. In terms of odor, this gas has a smell similarly
to rotten eggs at very low concentrations. However, at 30-100
pm, its odor becomes sweet. It has a molecular weight of 34.08,
melting point of -85.5°C, and boiling point of -60.3°C
(“CHEMINFO: Hydrogen Sulfide, 2016”).
When dealing with the solubility of the gas, it has been revealed
that it is slightly soluble in water and has variety of solubility
in other liquids. For example, ethanol, methanol, acetone,
gasoline, kerosene, and other oils are substances where
hydrogen sulfide is soluble in. Since the compound is a gas in
form, its pH value cannot be computed. However, when it exists
as a liquid, the pH for the compound is approximately 4.1.
Lastly, the critical pressure and temperature of this compound is
9006-9008 kPa and 100.4°C respectively (“CHEMINFO:
Hydrogen Sulfide”, 2016).
Hydrogen sulfide gas has a density of 2.07 g/cu cm and a vapor
density of approximately 7.837 at 470 °C. It has a viscosity of
0.17 at 120°C, 0.008 at 140°C, 0.0064 at 158°C, and 5.952 at
160°C (Nehb &Vydra, 2006). In terms of iconicity, hydrogen
sulfide is at 10.46 eV. On the other hand, for its spectral
properties, the index of refraction is 1.947 for alpha and 2.038
for beta (Lewis, 2007).
4.0 Common Use
This compound is commonly used in the production of various
metallic sulfides. Other industries use this compound for the
production of other compounds such as phosphors and oil
additives, which are substance added slightly to compounds
usually to improve its quality. Moreover, hydrogen sulfide is
used as to analyze other chemicals in analysis procedure.
Furthermore, it’s used as by-product in multiple fields like
petroleum production, mining, textile manufacture, food
processing, and agricultural soils. Lastly, it is also used as
remover of impurities in metals and for the reaction of other

5. metals with various organic compounds (“CHEMINFO:
Hydrogen Sulfide”, 2016).
5.0 Exposure and Health Effects
Since hydrogen sulfide is considered as a toxic and irritable
gas, it is important that the presence of such gas is detected
early to be able to protect the health of individuals and
employees. The health effects of hydrogen sulfide can be
classified based on the route by which it enters the body.
When an individual is exposed to hydrogen sulfide through
inhalation, exposure to 0.01-1.5 pm of hydrogen sulfide will
already allow the person to smell the characteristic rotten egg
smell of the gas. On the other hand, exposure to 2-5 pm of
hydrogen sulfide concentration can lead to nausea, watery eyes
or teary eyes, apnea, and even headaches. In asthma patients,
exposure to this concentration may already lead to airway
problems such as bronchial constriction. Meanwhile, at 20 pm
concentration of hydrogen sulfide, an individual already
experiences fatigue, increased irritability, and loss of appetite,
nausea, vertigo, and poor memory (“United States Department
of Labor”, 2016).
Higher concentrations of hydrogen sulfide such as 50-100 pm
may lead to a state commonly known as gas eye. Moreover,
continuous exposure to this chemical at 50-100 pm after 1 hour
can lead to the irritation of the respiratory system. Defects in
the digestive system and the person’s loss of appetite are also
some of the health effects associated with exposure to hydrogen
sulfide levels of 50-100 pm. At 100 pm concentration of
hydrogen sulfide gas, the individual exposed is at high risk of
experiencing symptoms such as coughing, irritation of the eyes,
loss of smell, drowsiness, irritation of the throat after an hour
of exposure to this concentration, and even death when the
length of exposure reaches 48 hours (“United States Department
of Labor, 2016”).

6. On the other hand, when an individual is exposed to hydrogen
sulfide through direct skin contact, freezing of the tissues
commonly referred to as frostbite can occur. Some of the known
symptoms of this phenomenon include prickling and itching
along with numbness of the area in direct contact with the
hydrogen sulfide. During severe exposure, the production of
blisters can occur. However, in worse circumstances, the death
of the tissues is also possible (“CHEMINFO: Hydrogen Sulfide,
2016”).
When compared to the other modes of transmission, the most
commonly reported effect of exposure to hydrogen sulfide is the
irritation of the eyes. It has been reported that inflammation and
irritation of the eyes can actually occur even at very-low
concentrations. Other symptoms of hydrogen sulfide exposure
include light sensitivity, tearing of the eyes, burning sensation
in the eyes, and even blurred visions (“CHEMINFO: Hydrogen
Sulfide, 2016”).
6.0 Government Regulation
In terms of government regulation, the Occupational Safety &
Health Administration (OSHA) proposed different requirements
for the evaluation and control of exposures to hydrogen sulfide.
For general industry, it is required to have proper ventilation
and safety management of the chemicals, which are considered
as highly hazardous. It is also expected that individuals who are
at high risk of being exposed to hydrogen sulfide be provided
with proper personal protective equipment especially for
respiratory protection. There is also worker exposure limits
proposed by the same organization. For a general industry,
exposures to hazardous chemicals should not exceed 20 pm. For
construction, the exposure of individuals to gases, vapors, and
even dusts and mists should be set at 10 pm. lastly; air
contaminants should have an exposure limit of 10 pm (“United
States Department of Labor , 2016”).

7. 7.0 Control Method
Some of the common control methods for hydrogen sulfide
include provision of local exhaust ventilation along with the
usage of proper respiratory protection devices. It is also
possible for the hydrogen sulfide to be measured and recovered
to reduce the exposure of individuals to high concentrations of
the cases. The provision of water discharge, which is continuous
to the sewage system and proper covering and venting of the
drains of wastes, is another control method (“United States
Department of Labor, 2016”).
8.0 Case Studies
There are also case studies focused on hydrogen sulfide
exposure, in this case study, a total of 3 industrial incidents
caused by exposure to hydrogen sulfide have been presented. In
these cases, the use of biological monitoring was thoroughly
discussed to provide evidences for the regulatory enforcement
of hydrogen sulfide. For the incidents considered as non-fatal,
urine samples are to be submitted at two or more time points.
This time should be between the time of the incident and 15-h
post exposure. Based on the results, hydrogen sulfide
concentration of 12 pm for 30 minutes can be detected using
biological monitoring (Jones, 2014)).
9.0 Conclusion
To sum up, hydrogen sulfide gas is a colorless, odorless,
flammable, extremely hazardous gas that has a smell of rotten
eggs. It can cause multiple health effects range from mild like
nausea, headache, and loss of appetite to more sever effects like
eye and skin irritation, and/or even death at extremely high
concentrations. Therefore, different government agencies
proposed some regulatory guidelines and regulations aiming to
control and limit the exposure of hydrogen sulfide by workers
in workplaces.

8. 10.0 Recommendation
Based on the given information and the case study, hydrogen
sulfide is capable of causing acute effects including eyes
irritation, skin irritation, respiratory problems, among other
problems and these incidents do occur in general industries, the
concentration level should be reduced to 10ppm in workplaces
in order to minimize health defects for workers.
11.0 References
“CHEMINFO: Hydrogen Sulfide.” CHEMINFO: Hydrogen
Sulfide. Canadian Centre For Occupational Health & Safety,
2012. Web. 08 Apr. 2016
Jones, K. (2014). Case Studies Of Hydrogen Sulphide
Occupational Exposure Incidents In The UK. Toxicology
Letters, 231(3), 374-377..
Lewis, R. J. (2007). Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary,
CD-ROM. John Wiley & Sons.
Nehb, W. And Vydra, K. (2006) Ullmann’s Encyclopedia Of
Industrial Chemistry. 7th Ed. (1999-2011). New York, NY: John
Wiley & Sons,. Print.
Occupational Safety And Health Administration. “OSHA Fact
Sheet: Hydrogen Sulfide.”OSHA.2005. Print.
“United States Department Of Labor.”Safety And Health Topics
Web. 10 Apr 2016.