NOAAYo homes, smell ya later!
Think you’ve smelled some nasty stuff? Been trapped in an elevator with a Drakkar Noir enthusiast — or, worse, a preteen doused in Axe? At least you’ve never been completely knocked out by fishy odors like two Maine fishers were.
The men had unloaded herring from an 89-foot trawler, but rotting fish created hydrogen sulfide in the fish hold. The toxic, highly explosive gas is often called “sewer gas” and smells like rotten eggs. YEAH. Imagine smelling the moldy food you forgot a month ago, only TIMES A MILLION. As a fun bonus, breathing in hydrogen sulfide deadens your nose, so after an initial “yuck,” you might not realize you’re inhaling something deadly.
The Associated Press reports:
The first fisherman was overcome and lost consciousness while climbing down a ladder into the [fish] hold. The second became incapacitated while trying to help him. A third crew member realized what was happening and used a breathing apparatus to rescue them.
Thank god. Not only because the slapstick routine was getting old, but because hydrogen sulfide can be fatal. (Both men are recovering at area hospitals.)
