Carbon dioxide is odorless, and hydrogen sulfide quickly becomes undetectable by odor by destroying victims' sense of smell.
If inhaled, they can cause rapid unconsciousness by poisoning or displacement of oxygen leading to hypoxia.
[4][5][6][7][8][9] The UK Health and Safety Executive also warns against the creation of naked flames near slurry pits, as gases such as methane are inherently flammable.
[10] The Health and Safety Executive of Northern Ireland specifies activity in a slurry pit as specialist work, requiring the worker to have a separate air supply and a harness lifeline managed by two additional people outside the tank.
[3] According to the Health and Safety Authority of Ireland, between 2000 and 2010, 30% of all child fatalities on farms occurred from drowning in slurry or water.