SMITH COUNTY, Texas — Smith County authorities and HAZMAT teams have cleared the area after a strong odor mimicking natural gas came from a jug that fell from a pickup truck.
According to Smith County Fire Marshal Jay Brooks, about a gallon of mercaptan, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes as a colorless flammable gas with unpleasant odor (such as rotten cabbage), fell from a truck in the area area of Farm-to-Market Road 346 and Farm-to-Market Road 756 (Paluxy Dr.).
Officials say a man who lived in the area picked up the jug, put it in the back of his truck and left it in there when he parked in front of his house.
For the past few days, residents in the vicinity had been reporting a faint smell of natural gas, but they could never figure out where it was until Thursday afternoon.
The CDC says mercaptan is highly irritant when it contacts moist tissues such as the eyes, skin and upper respiratory tract. It can also induce headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
HAZMAT crews were able to take possession of the chemical to dispose of it properly.
No injuries were reported.
