www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/08/28/septic_deaths040828.html

ST-JEAN-BAPTISTE-DE-ROUVILLE, QUE. - Three people who fell into a campground's septic tank have died and a fourth man is in critical condition in hospital Saturday. The incident occurred late Friday evening when the owner of the campground, his son-in-law and another camper went down a four-metre hole near the tank to clear a blocked drain, reported Quebec provincial police. The three men were overcome by fumes and fell unconscious. A fourth man who tried to save the trio was also overcome by fumes and sent to hospital. Eight other people who tried to help and two firemen were treated for exposure to the toxic fumes. The victims' names were not released. An autopsy is planned this week to investigate whether the deaths were linked to the fumes or if the three men died in human waste, said police spokesman Const. Ronald McInnis, who warned that only professionals should fix septic tanks. St-Jean-Baptiste-de-Rouville is about 30 kilometres east of Montreal.

thats sad,
I am still curious how they all fell in.

Confined space entry is not something to be taken lightly. Too bad for them.

septic systems produce one of the most dangerous and poisones gasses known to man.  There were a couple of sailors up here in the northwet that opened a tank on a boat and one took a single breath of the escaping vapors and died.  The other guy with him went to the hospital.

Where I work, we have to have a "gas free" tech come in and verify every tank or enclosed space is okay for entry before anybody can go inside.  trapped gasses are frikken deadly.

Shitter gasses are some of the worst.  Thats why Federal regulations classify used baby diapers as hazardous waste.

Chris

Now that's a shitty situation

Quoted: septic systems produce one of the most dangerous and poisones gasses known to man.  There were a couple of sailors up here in the northwet that opened a tank on a boat and one took a single breath of the escaping vapors and died.  The other guy with him went to the hospital. Where I work, we have to have a "gas free" tech come in and verify every tank or enclosed space is okay for entry before anybody can go inside.  trapped gasses are frikken deadly. Shitter gasses are some of the worst.  Thats why Federal regulations classify used baby diapers as hazardous waste. Chris

Tell me about it.

Out here, we don't enter tanks until they're OK'd by a Marine Chemist.