Things That Smell Like Exhaust Fumes

Exhaust fumes from vehicles pollute the air.exhaust fulmes image by bilderbox from Fotolia.com

Exhaust fumes are dangerous because they contain carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is produced by the internal combustion engine in automobiles, trucks and equipment that utilizes a gasoline engine.

Never use gas-powered equipment in an enclosed space. Items such as a gas-powered generator or pressure washer must remain outdoors and should never be used indoors. Hundred of deaths occur each year from carbon monoxide poisoning and thousands more visit an emergency room from serious exposure.

Rotten Eggs

Rotten eggs smell like exhaust fumes. The horrible stench of rotten eggs comes from the bacterial breakdown of protein in the egg. This produces the familiar odor that everyone hates. In its natural state, natural gas has no odor. In order to make it easy to detect, producers of natural gas inject it with a strong, unpleasant odor called mercaptan. Mercaptan and rotten eggs smell like exhaust fumes.

Hydrogen sulfide gas smells like exhaust fumes. Sulfur actually has no odor. However, when raw sulfur is mixed with water, it creates H2S or hydrogen sulfide gas. This is what we are smelling. H2S has the smell of rotten eggs or exhaust fumes.

Sewage backup most often occurs in homes or businesses that use a septic tank for waste disposal. The septic system can malfunction, causing an odor similar to exhaust fumes or rotting eggs. Septic tanks must be emptied on a regular basis depending upon the number of family members and usage. During heavy rains, rainwater can cause cause raw sewage in the tank to overflow, creating a nasty odor much like exhaust fumes.