[Measurements of hydrogen sulfide held in water and sludge in sewerage holes and the required amount of ventilation].

In Japan, it is required to measure the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) concentration before sewerage work can commence, in order to prevent toxic accidents caused by H2S. The actual H2S concentration of the sewerage hole is often different from that initially measured, and there is often a more than fatal concentration because of rapidly volatilizing H2S. However, no countermeasures for this have been developed, nor has any system for the measurement of the H2S held in sewerage water and sludge been established yet. In this paper, therefore, the measurement of H2S dissolved in water was investigated, and the actual form of the H2S held in the water and the sludge was analyzed. Prevention measures against toxic accidents were also investigated. Water and sludge were collected from an actual sewerage hole, and the quantities of H2S held in them were measured by the new method with the stripping which we developed. We also determined the quantity of H2S volatilized from the water surface during work, and estimated the change of air quantity necessary to reduce the concentration of H2S to a safety level for workers. As a result, it was shown that even if the H2S concentration of the gas phase before the work is regarded as at a safety level for workers, they may be in an extremely dangerous situation resulting from the rapid volatilization of H2S during their work.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)