How Does Methane Gas Affect Humans in the Long Term?

A variety of factors impact the long-term effects of methane on people coming into contact with the gas. Although contact with methane gas often does not pose long-term risk to human beings, methane gas can, in high quantities, cause serious damage and even death. Methane is dangerous mostly because in high quantities, it depletes the level of breathable oxygen in the air.

Skin Damage

• Generally speaking, contact with methane does not cause serious skin damage unless you touch compressed methane gas or refrigerated methane gas. In this case, contact with methane can cause burning, or, in severe cases, frostbite. Symptoms of skin damage resulting from methane include blisters and gangrene in severe cases and general itchiness in mild ones.

Eye Damage

• Just as exposure to compressed or refrigerated methane gas can cause damage to the skin, exposure of such gas to the eyes can cause serious lasting damage. Specifically, contact of this type of gas with the eyes can result in cold sores on the eyes or, in more serious cases, permanent damage resulting in blindness.

Organ Damage

• The most severe consequences of methane for humans is through its effect as an asphyxiant, which displaces and depletes oxygen levels. Danger to humans results when methane levels reach 14 percent of breathable air. This causes oxygen levels to deplete below 18 percent, and can cause permanent irreversible damage to the central nervous system, brain and other organs. Such damage worsens as methane levels increase and oxygen levels decrease.

Death

• Death from methane exposure occurs only in very severe cases. When oxygen levels dip below 6 percent as a result of increased methane presence in the air, humans are at risk for respiratory collapse and consequent death.