Hydrogen Sulfide
hydrogen-sulfide

_This is the organizing page for research related to hydrogen sulfide in Public Lab._ (above: [DIY colorimetric strips](/notes/megan/9-7-2012/first-experiment-analyzed) reacting to H2S by @megan) ### What is hydrogen sulfide, what are its effects, and where is it found? Hydrogen sulfide, with the chemical formula H2S, is a flammable gas that has a pungent odor at low concentrations and is odorless at higher concentrations. It can be a respiratory irritant and a neurotoxin. [Read more about hydrogen sulfide health effects](/wiki/hydrogen-sulfide-effects). Hydrogen sulfide is naturally formed in low-oxygen conditions with sulfate present, such as in organic-rich sediments and thus in petrochemical source rocks. Upon exposure to oxygen, hydrogen sulfide readily oxidizes to sulfur dioxide or sulfate, and generally reacts within hours to days. [Read more about hydrogen sulfide sources and spatial and temporal variation](/wiki/hydrogen-sulfide-environment) ### How are hydrogen sulfide emissions and exposures regulated? In the United States, hydrogen sulfide emissions are only federally regulated to the extent that they contribute to sulfur dioxide formation, and thus acid rain. These emissions are regulated through the Prevention of Significant Deterioration of major stationary sources review and permitting. Exposure to hydrogen sulfide is mostly regulated in terms of occupational exposure, with very few states regulating ambient exposure to this toxin. [Read more about hydrogen sulfide regulations](/wiki/hydrogen-sulfide-regulations) ## How can hydrogen sulfide be measured? While there is no federal regulatory method for hydrogen sulfide in the US, labs, agencies, and oilfield workers often measure hydrogen sulfide gas through several different means: * badges or glass tubes that change color * continuously sampling electronic sensors, some worn by oilfield workers * [air grab sampling](/wiki/air-sampling), as by the Bucket Brigades, tested with gas chromatography > We're compiling information about the **pros, cons, prices, and sensitivity/limitations** of these techniques: [What are different commercially available hydrogen sulfide detection methods?](/notes/warren/12-04-2017/what-are-different-commercially-available-hydrogen-sulfide-detection-methods) ## Do-It-Yourself approaches to detection There are three prototype, low-cost hydrogen sulfide detection methods currently being explored by Public Lab community members. These include: * a [method using photographic paper](/wiki/hydrogen-sulfide-photopaper) * a [copper tarnishing method](/wiki/hydrogen-sulfide-copper-pipe) * a technique using a [Do-It-Yourself potentiostat](/notes/JSummers/03-10-2014/quantifying-airborne-hydrogen-sulfide) * commercial [electronic H2S sensors](/wiki/hydrogen-sulfide-sensor) connected to a computer or #arduino > Help out! Please help link the above bullet points to corresponding pages across this site. **** ## Questions We can't make progress on these techniques and resources without addressing our unknowns. Please ask questions to help shape the direction of our work! [questions:hydrogen-sulfide] **** ## Related pages See [other related wiki pages here](https://publiclab.org/wiki/tag/hydrogen-sulfide) **** ## Activities These activities are to guide you to test out hydrogen sulfide detection methods or use these tools in the field: [activities:hydrogen-sulfide] **** ## Where can I find more information? Two particularly good resources are listed below. Other hydrogen sulfide wiki pages (mentioned above) include additional relevant resources. 1. Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry. 2016. Hydrogen Sulfide Fact Sheet. [https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp114-c1-b.pdf](https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp114-c1-b.pdf). 2. National Research Council. 2010. Acute Exposure Guidelines. [https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-11/documents/hydrogen_sulfide_final_volume9_2010.pdf](https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-11/documents/hydrogen_sulfide_final_volume9_2010.pdf). ...


Author Comment Last activity Moderation
Bronwen "I think it probably depends somewhat on what we need the cleaning agent to do: alcohol and acetone work a little differently, and acetone will like..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
warren "@asnow @bronwen " | Read more » about 6 years ago
warren "@gretchengehrke mentioned: Isopropanol has pretty similar properties, but the commonly available rubbing alcohol in drug stores is 70% isopropanol..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
warren " " | Read more » about 6 years ago
warren "I tried scrubbing these with acetone after using very strong double-sided tape to attach them to a wood plank. So far it doesn't seem like the acet..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
zengirl2 "I'm liking this a lot. I might want to try these for my experiment as I think snipping copper is hazardous LOL. Also, this could make an interestin..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
gretchengehrke "@warren, I thought the sandpaper we used (that was like a polisher) worked well to remove grime on the surface of the copper, which is its purpose...." | Read more » about 6 years ago
Bronwen "I think you have to aim to be in a well ventilated area for pads too: pouring acetone might not be too terrible depending on what kinds of bottles ..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
warren "Just wanted to link over to this discussion of copper "badges": https://publiclab.org/questions/warren/12-06-2017/what-are-some-options-for-copper-..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
warren "Copying in that discussion here, as it belongs here more appropriately: Also thinking of making a kit -- here are individually packaged acetone wi..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
warren "I was looking for some pre-cut smaller pieces of copper in standard sizes, in part to avoid the warping that cutting big sheets with shears can cau..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
warren "And do you have to discard the sandpaper on each use, or can it be used over and over? Thanks! " | Read more » about 6 years ago
warren "Hi, i saw you mentioned: it’s almost more like a polisher regarding the sandpaper -- was that a bad thing? Would you opt for a different grade of..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
warren " Just a note that we'd looked at some single-use acetone nail polish removing pads, because people wouldn't necessarily need a whole bottle -- but..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
warren "Hi, @gretchengerhke - would acetone melt nitrile or latex gloves? I'm thinking of how to ship some things like cotton scrub pads and safety gear wi..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
Ag8n "Could someone double check on xrf for h2s? Xrf works on electrons closest to the nucleus. It could detect sulfur, but not h2s unless paired with ..." | Read more » over 6 years ago
warren "Sounds like that was $100? " | Read more » over 6 years ago
warren "@sara and @gretchengehrke have mentioned the "Corrosion Coupon" badge which uses both copper and silver -- I posted a question looking for some mor..." | Read more » over 6 years ago
Bronwen "Here's something that looks like 2 tests for $30 (page is a little light on information beyond that) http://chemsee-foods.com/H2S-KT1 " | Read more » over 6 years ago
warren "Just linking in here to the question where some of us have been looking for different materials and setups to do this test with: https://publiclab..." | Read more » over 6 years ago
stevie "Hi @deepwinter - We're going to do an OpenHour on exploratory hydrogen sulfide monitoring methods Monday, January 8th at 8pm ET/ 7 central. Hope yo..." | Read more » over 6 years ago
stevie "Hi @ewilder - We're going to do an OpenHour on exploratory hydrogen sulfide monitoring methods Monday, January 8th at 8pm ET/ 7 central. Hope you'l..." | Read more » over 6 years ago
stevie "Hi @megan - We're going to do an OpenHour on exploratory hydrogen sulfide monitoring methods Monday, January 8th at 8pm ET/ 7 central. Hope you'll ..." | Read more » over 6 years ago
stevie "Hey @sophie - it has been a while! Hope all is well. We're going to do an OpenHour on exploratory hydrogen sulfide monitoring methods Monday, Janu..." | Read more » over 6 years ago