Stenches & Stinks: Foul Odors and Smells (General; Miscellaneous)

[sherbetbizarre]

Office refrigerator stench packs punch, sends seven to hospital
May 13, 2009

We've all been there: reached for our food in the office refrigerator, only to recoil from the stench from the crammed containers of decomposing food.

When a worker at an AT&T building in San Jose, California, took it upon herself to clean out an office refrigerator during her lunch hour Tuesday, the smell from the moldy food was so noxious that it sent seven of her co-workers to the hospital and prompted the evacuation of all 325 people in the building.

"It was like a brick wall hit you," employee Robin Leetieh told CNN affiliate KGO-TV. "Stopped you immediately."

The refrigerator had been unplugged for some time and moved into a conference room for cleaning. When the woman tried to scrub down the mess, the stench from the cleaning chemicals combined with the rotting food.

"It caused some to vomit, some to just get nauseous. And it, for us, activated a hazardous incident," Capt. Barry Stallard of the San Jose fire department told the television station.

Another office worker tried to cover up the odor -- and made matters worse.

"Someone also took some spray and tried to deodorize the air," Stallard said. "And it turned out that was spot cleaner, not a deodorant. So it made people very sick."

Firefighters set up a triage area in the building's parking lot. In all, 28 workers reported feeling sick. Seven were taken to hospitals for evaluation.

Not among them: the woman who volunteered to clean the fridge.

She suffers from allergies, firefighters said, and had had nasal surgery.

LINK

 

[Kellydandodi]

... I can believe it - I half expect 'Brundlefly' to emerge from our staffroom microwave... if it's ever cleaned it's always me or some other bloke that cleans it too - most of the women, with their king-prawn this and steamed-chicken-that are the biggest "food posers" on the planet who seem not to want to sully their hands with actually cleaning the ruddy thing! :lol:

 

[BeatrixKiddo]

This is what always amazes me about staff kitchen areas. Everyone says they clean up after themselves but yet there is still a mess. I would clean our staff kitchen, people would watch me scrub away and make the sink shine...then they would leave their crap in the sink promising up wash it up later. I wonder what their homes are like.

 

[OneWingedBird]

There was a guy who worked in my building once who, one week into his summer leave and during a heatwave, phoned his workmate to tell him that he'd just remembered that he'd left two chicken legs in his desk drawers.

Some people are just a menace to public health :shock:

 

[Analogue Boy]

Let's not rule out the post-redundancy-carefully-placed-mackerel-or-herring in the drawer.

When I was an art student (And this REALLY happened check) the life model came in and left a rolled-up newspaper package on the sunny windowsill.
As our nostrils started to twitch she said 'Oh don't worry about that - it's just my fish'.

You learn a lot about life being an artist.

 

[H2olilyus]

This past week I woke up to the strongest rotten egg/sewage smell and thought that my roomie must have left the stove on unlit. The whole town reeked. Thought it was my imagination, should have called the gas co, but later on the news said it was probably a fish die-off from the Salton Sea and the smell was smelt from LA to Palm Springs. Now my conspiracy-theory friends are telling me its a precursor warning us of a major earthquake or volcanic eruption. Geologic upheaval. Yikes. Didn't see anything posted on the FNS forum, sorry if this has all been hashed out somewhere's else here. Comments?

 

[JamesWhitehead]

Wow! There is a lot about this stink-event online and the rumours of possible earthquakes to come. I don't recall any previous quakes having this kind of harbinger but sulphur dioxide is always associated with hot springs and volcanic activity. The Salton Sea is said to be responsible but no one can recall its fishy aromas spreading so far before.

I hope the bad smell is all you have to endure!

 

[Vardoger]

There's a lot of quake activity in California now, but isn't that the usual?

Here's a link where you can follow earth quake activity world wide: http://quakes.globalincidentmap.com/

Seems like Turkey is about to get hit by a large one?

 

[rynner2]

Interesting to read above of the links between smells and Earthquakes. There's a smell in Romsey (Hampshire, UK)causing problems at present - Romsey is only a few miles SW of Winchester, which experienced an earthquake a few days ago...
http://forum.forteantimes.com/index.php?threads/earthquake.44032/page-6#post-1484991

What is that smell? Environment Agency and council draw a blank in hunt for source of Romsey's nasty niff

INVESTIGATIONS are on-going to find out where a nasty whiff over Romsey is coming from.
Environment Agency officials and council environmental health bosses are investigating the smell which has been in the air, on and off, for more than a month.

The pungent pong, which smells like rotten eggs at times, has prompted a number of people to contact the borough council’s environmental health department, The Environment Agency and the Advertiser.
They included Mary Haverly who described it as a “dreadful smell”.
“The smell was so evil and strong one night that it woke my mother and I and my daughter up. It was so obnoxious that we wondered if it could be harmful,” said Mrs Haverly, who lives in Church Lane.

Some have pointed the finger of blame on the Squabb Wood Landfill site at Shootash.
However, Viridor, which owns the site, says doesn’t believe it is it is to blame for the offensive smell.
Viridor’s regional manager Tanya Reed said: “Neither we, nor the Environment Agency, have been able to locate the source of the odour. There is a smell in the air in the area, but no detectable smell on site.
“Thorough investigations have been made on site to identify any possible source, but nothing has been found. We are continuing to work with the Environment Agency.”
Officers from the Environment Agency and TVBC had spent considerable time on the site reviewing possible causes for this odour.
“All parties agreed that no smell or source of the odour could be found on site. All relevant gas extraction and operational equipment are working effectively. Our site manager will continue to work alongside the relevant authorities to help source this odour,” said Ms Reed.”

Even Romsey’s MP Caroline Nokes has had a whiff of the mystery stench.
“I have been contacted by a couple of local residents complaining about the ‘pong’ and have asked Brian Cowcher head of housing and environmental health at TVBC to investigate where it is coming from.
“Having taken efforts to inhale deeply whenever I am around the town I have noticed it on several occasions recently. Brian has asked that residents contact him when they smell it, noting date, time and location, and I have certainly done that,” said Ms Nokes “It is really quite a marked smell, a bit like rotten eggs, and it would be great if we could find where it is coming from. That is only going to be achieved by people reporting it to the borough council whenever they do smell it.”

Test Valley’s environmental health department confirmed the pong is being investigated but they had yet to find the cause.
The Environment Agency has also drawn a blank.
Their spokesperson urged the public report details of any further odour problems in the area to the agency’s 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 807060.

http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk...t_for_source_of__Romsey_s_nasty_niff/?ref=rss

 

[Spudrick68]

I know its really obvious but sulphur?

 

[rynner2]

I know its really obvious but sulphur?

Volcanos often produce sulphur, but it seems unlikely there's any volcanic activity underneath Hampshire. If there was, I'm sure we'd have heard about it before now!

But perhaps this pong, and the earthquake, are the first indications that the whole of southern England is about to collapse into a fiery caldera!

 

[Monstrosa]

Well Rynner, if you wouldn't insist on shoehorning stories into threads which are either geographically or temporally or in some other way separate, then we wouldn't get confusion over whether someone is referencing the original story or yours.

 

[EnolaGaia]

An inversion involving bottom sediment getting churned to Lake Erie's surface triggered fears of natural gas leaks in multiple lakeshore communities.

Mystery odor in Ohio communities blamed on Lake Erie

Firefighters and utility officials in Ohio said a mysterious, natural gas-like odor reported in several communities Thursday was the result of an inversion from Lake Erie's waters.

The Willowick Fire Department said it and other departments in lakeside communities received about 60 calls Thursday morning from residents reporting an odor that some callers compared to the smell of natural gas. ...

Mentor firefighters responded alongside crews from Dominion Energy, and determined that no natural gas leaks had occurred in the affected areas.

Mentor spokesperson Ante Logarusic said investigators determined the odor was likely the result of lake inversion, which results from strong winds causing gunk from the bottom of Lake Erie to be swept to the surface.

Marie Gorman, a biologist with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, said lake inversions are not uncommon, but it's unusual for it to happen so close to the shore.

FULL STORY: https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/09/02/mystery-odor-Lake-Erie-Inversion-Mentor-Ohio/4091630614717/

 

[EnolaGaia]

Hattiesburg, Mississippi, city officials are once again attempting to pinpoint the nature and source of a foul smell that's recurred over the last few years.

Mystery smell in city is likened to sewage, animal corpses

Residents say a mysterious smell — one that has lingered for months in past years — is back in downtown Hattiesburg.

The Hattiesburg American reports that its source is unknown.

The smell has also been reported in areas surrounding downtown, including Petal.

Some residents say the smell is like ammonia, with others comparing it to the scent of a rotting animal corpse.

The smell is typically most noticeable in the morning, but sometimes rolls in during the evening hours as well, the Hattiesburg newspaper reported.

Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker said city officials will continue in their quest to track down the source.

“Finding the cause might take some time, so we ask your patience as we use every resource available to us through the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality,” Barker said in a recent update on Facebook. ...

FULL STORY: https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-animals-hattiesburg-d81d39af3098121b7ba77eff5f190500

 

[EnolaGaia]

After more than 2,800 complaints about bad smells, the city of Jacksonville (Florida) is installing a network of sensors in an attempt to determine where the awful odors originate.

City of Jacksonville installs sensors to figure out source of terrible smells around town

The city of Jacksonville has a new tool to help figure out what’s behind a terrible smell people have reported in parts of the city.

Crews installed several new devices to detect odors.

“We want to be able to hopefully solve this problem all at once,” said Melissa Long, who is Jacksonville’s Environmental Quality Division chief.

The first Envirosuite sensor was installed Thursday in Boone Park.

The city plans to install the devices in different neighborhoods. They hope to figure out where the smells are coming from, and who or what is responsible.

There will be 13 of these sensors as part of this research and two weather stations because the wind direction is a part of the study. ...

Over the last two years, the city received 2,869 complaints of terrible smells and the complaints started picking up in the summer of 2020, said Long. ...

FULL STORY (With Photos / Illustrations): https://www.news4jax.com/news/local...re-out-source-of-terrible-smells-around-town/

 

[EnolaGaia]

A widespread mysterious stench reported to resemble rotten meat was reported in Utah, but authorities haven't been able to identify its source.

Mystery odor stinks up Utah city, cause remains unknown

Officials in a Utah city are investigating the cause of a foul odor reported by residents ...

Residents of North Salt Lake City said they noticed the odor Thursday morning and multiple locals compared the smell to rotting meat. ...

South Davis Sewer District General Manager Matt Myers said the district received about 50 reports of a foul odor Thursday, but officials do not believe the smell was coming from the sewers.

Sherrie Pace, North Salt Lake City community development director, said the odor reached City Hall, and police and building inspectors reported detecting the stench all around the city.

"I have been out, driven around about two hours trying to locate it," Pace told KSL-TV on Thursday. "There are pockets of the smell throughout the city and also outside of the city."

North Salt Lake City Manager Ken Leetham said the smell was reported as far north as Farmington. He said officials determined the odor is also not likely coming from any of the local refineries.

Residents said the smell dissipated with evening winds, but the cause of the odor remains a mystery.

FULL STORY: https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2022/1...s-up-North-Salt-Lake-City-Utah/9861665164046/

 

[maximus otter]

Finnish authorities detect sulphur-like smell in Helsinki region​

A strong smell resembling that of sulphur or burnt rubber was detected in the region around Finland’s capital Helsinki, the city’s rescue department said on Sunday.

The smell has been reported in an area spanning at least 60 km (37 miles) along Finland’s southern coastline, the department said.

There was no immediate indication that the smell was a health hazard.

Russian media outlet Fontanka reported on Sunday that residents in several areas of St Petersburg, the Russian city closest to Finland, had complained of an unpleasant odour, comparing it to that of gas, garbage or burnt rubber.

According to local authorities cited by Fontanka, monitoring stations had not recorded anything above the permitted levels of air pollution.

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/finnis...ulphur-like-smell-in-helsinki-region/74673895

maximus otter

 

[Mythopoeika]

Finnish authorities detect sulphur-like smell in Helsinki region​

A strong smell resembling that of sulphur or burnt rubber was detected in the region around Finland’s capital Helsinki, the city’s rescue department said on Sunday.

The smell has been reported in an area spanning at least 60 km (37 miles) along Finland’s southern coastline, the department said.

There was no immediate indication that the smell was a health hazard.

Russian media outlet Fontanka reported on Sunday that residents in several areas of St Petersburg, the Russian city closest to Finland, had complained of an unpleasant odour, comparing it to that of gas, garbage or burnt rubber.

According to local authorities cited by Fontanka, monitoring stations had not recorded anything above the permitted levels of air pollution.

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/finnis...ulphur-like-smell-in-helsinki-region/74673895

maximus otter

It might just be a backed-up sewer system.
Or it may be that Helsinki is very close to Espoo.

 

[Min Bannister]

It might just be a backed-up sewer system.
Or it may be that Helsinki is very close to Espoo.

 

[Mythopoeika]

I was beginning to wonder if anybody would notice.