What Is Natural Gas?

The EPA says methane is a hydrocarbon that is a primary component of natural gas, and that methane is more than 28 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Federal pipeline safety rules at 49 CFR 192.625 require combustible gas in a distribution line to contain a natural odorant or be odorized so that, at a concentration in air of one-fifth of the lower explosive limit, it is readily detectable by a person with a normal sense of smell.

Act fast if you smell it. The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority says that if you smell gas inside, you should go to a phone that is not near the smell and call your local gas company right away, and that if the smell is strong or you are unsure, you should leave the building and then call. It says not to smoke, strike matches, light candles, flip light switches, use a telephone, or use any electrical equipment or lights that might create a spark in the area of the odor.

Gas appliances can also produce carbon monoxide. The CDC says carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that kills without warning, claiming the lives of hundreds of people every year and making thousands more ill, and that many household items, including gas and oil burning furnaces, portable generators and charcoal grills, produce it.