Putrescible Waste

Monday, July 6, 2009 | 0

By Jon Coppelman


There are certain aspects of civilized life that few of us want to experience directly. Once our garbage has disappeared from the curbside, we are unlikely to give it any further thought. We have little curiosity about the desolate environments where this garbage is taken.

But some folks work in these places, such as the ironically-named Regal Recycling Company on Douglas Ave, Jamaica, Queens. New York Times writer Robert McFadden describes the location as "an ugly street of waste plants, garbage scows and sheds enclosed by chain-link and topped by fluttering American flags."

A manhole-size, 18-foot-deep well at Regal was the sight of a terrible accident last week. S. Dahan Piping and Heating Corp. was hired to clean the manhole. They apparently were not alerted to the hazard of poisonous gases in the well. First, Harel Dahan, son of the owner, climbed into the well's three-foot diameter opening and disappeared. His father - we can only imagine his desperate concern for his son followed him down and did not return. Finally, a Regal employee named Rene Rivas entered the well to help out.

All three workers were quickly killed by the high level of hydrogen sulfide in the confined air of the well. Hydrogen sulfide is a highly toxic and flammable gas. Being heavier than air, it tends to accumulate at the bottom of poorly ventilated spaces. Although very pungent at first, it quickly deadens the sense of smell, so potential victims may be unaware of its presence until it is too late. Exposure to 50 parts per million can be lethal within 10 minutes. The level in the well measured an astounding 200 parts per million.

A firefighter from the rescue squad named Robert Lagnese recovered the bodies. He wore protective clothing and an enclosed breathing apparatus.

Hydrogen sulfide is a by-product of decomposing organic matter. At this point, no one is sure how the gas accumulated in the well. When trucks enter the facility, they empty their contents into two categories of waste: "putrescible" and "non-putrescible." It is the former that generates the poisonous gas.

When Shlomo Dahan arrived at Regal, he expected to find a routine job of pumping out a well. He was not aware of any imminent danger. It's clear that Regal employee Rene Rivas was also unaware of — and untrained in — the danger. Regal handles tons of "putrescible" waste, but apparently had no awareness of the accompanying dangers.

We are left with a chain of doomed, heroic actions: Harel Dahan's collapse in the well, followed by the rescue attempts of his father and of Rivas. It should never have happened.

But let's face it. We all want the debris of our civilized lives to be removed from our sight as quickly as possible. No one wants to look at — or smell — garbage. What happens to it after it's removed is someone else's business.



======
This column is posted on Lynch Ryan's blog at www.workerscompinsider.com.
======