Physics Natural Gas Report

Natural gas leaks are one of the most dangerous implications to our surroundings and
buildings. When understanding a gas leak, understand the implications; a gas leak can lead to
explosion, death, and federal indictment. To purposefully expose natural gas leak to an area is a
psychaotic action. A natural gas leak puts the lives of many in danger and puts an unnecessary
risk when doing a stupid action. According to WBTV On Your Side, “Since 2010 there have
been more than 2,700 gas leak incidents across the country that were considered significant and
that 362 of those incidents resulted in explosions.” Causing a natural gas leak is not a joke, it is a
criminal act.

The health hazards from natural gas leaks and inhaling it is immense. Even just a small
gas leak can trigger an explosion when exposed to a flame or minor electrical spark. When
exposed to natural gas there is a chance of experiencing natural gas poisoning. According to
Constellation, the symptoms of inhaling natural gas and having gas poisoning are, “fatigue,
severe headaches, memory problems, loss of concentration, nausea, loss of consciousness, and
suffocation.” Even if a leak does not cause an explosion the effects of inhaling natural gas can
still lead to impairment and even death. According to Pinedale Natural Gas, “At 25 to 30% gas in
air, the oxygen deficiency can cause ringing ears, euphoria, and unexplained behavioral changes.
At 50% gas-air mixture, a person taking in a few breaths will be incapacitated and unable to
self-rescue. At 75% gas, a person is immediately incapacitated and death will occur in a matter
of minutes.” Even just at 25%, inhaling natural gas can cause unexplainable effects on the human
brain and body.To begin by exposing a public area by unleashing natural gas is terrible enough,
but to expose whoever finds the leak as well makes it even worse. To add, imagine if the natural
gas leak is not caught, if the person who found the leak did not know what the smell was; the
effects of both an explosion and lead would be awful. Natural gas in a small space also has a
very high chance of explosion, with an example being an chemistry lab where there are many
factors that can contribute to explosion, the natural gas leak that occurred was very dangerous to
peoples life and well-being and it should not be taken lightly as my life was also in danger due to
the confusion actions committed by another that felt they were superior to the rules.

The dangers of natural gas explosions are unprecedented. In consideration, the volatility
of natural gas is also an important factor in natural gas explosions; According to Science Direct,
“Volatility Gasoline volatility is a measure of its evaporating characteristics. Gasolines with
higher volatility evaporate more readily and at lower temperatures; in general, they contain more
light and volatile hydrocarbons.” This means that the quick gas can get to its deadly state the
worse; if the gas in the chemistry lab was bad it could’ve been a different story. According to
Friedman Domiano and Smith, “Natural gas incidents occur “nearly every other day.” A recent
accident in West Virginia caused an explosion when workers were trying to odorize natural gas.”
Within a split second from someone making a mistake and playing around with natural gas, your
whole life can change, you can die, you could leave your family behind and everything you have
worked for is lost. According to Popular Mechanics, “A buildup of gas in a trapped environment
elevates the risk for explosion as the methane levels continue to increase. Natural gas can
combust on its own under the right conditions. Within a pressurized gas environment, a simple
spark is all that's needed for an explosion.” Even without the ignition of a spark, the buildup of
natural gas itself can be pressurized enough to the point of an explosion; after natural gas builds
up for 45 minutes it is not a joke, especially with the environment of a school zone that this was
done in. Furthermore, according to Bloomberg, “The aftermath of a natural gas disaster can be
unbelievably grim—sky-high sheets of flame, entire structures gone in seconds. The world got to
see the destructive signature of a gas blast Wednesday in East Harlem, when a pair of five-story
buildings exploded and crumbled into a fire-licked pile. At the most recent count, seven people
died in the incident and at least 60 were injured…He was among the first on the scene at the San
Bruno pipeline explosion of 2010, a conflagration so fierce the media at first reported it as a
plane crash that had set the "whole neighborhood on fire." The effects of an explosion are so
significant even to the point of being considered a plane crash; the title of this article was, How a
Simple Gas Leak Could Destroy Two Entire Buildings, the word simple is so significant in
understanding the implications of pulling a prank in a highschool class and punishing and putting
lives in danger for their own actions. If a simple gas leak could destroy two entire buildings, then
turning on a natural gas for 45 minutes is very dangerous as well, a simple electric spark from
possible charging a phone or a circuit malfunction would literally destroy part if not most of the
school and cause a local emergency which would also involve the death of teacher, students and
friends.

In conclusion, having a natural gas leak let alone intentionally producing a natural gas
leak is a serious mental issue and not in the slightest a funny joke. According to the examples
explained above, it is nowhere near worth getting a laugh to danger the lives of an entire school.
To end, a natural gas leak can cause poisoning, human impairment, and of course death in a high
percentage. Before attempting to make a joke by purposefully creating the exposure of natural
gas in school, consider your mental stability and the lives and families that could be affected.
 Sources

https://www.wbtv.com/2022/07/18/silent-threat-gas-explosions-injured-hundreds-killed-dozens-n
ationwide-since-2010/#:~:text=Using%20PHMSA's%20data%2C%20InvestigateTV%20found,a
nd%20killed%20more%20than%20140.
https://pinedalegas.com/natural-gas/hazards-of-natural-gas
https://www.fdslaw.com/blog/personal-injury/know-about-gas-explosions/
https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a10244/how-a-gas-leak-can-destro
y-a-building-16585780/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-03-13/how-a-simple-gas-leak-could-destroy-two
-entire-buildings