Three people died from silo gas in Penns Valley. What is it and why is it so dangerous?
Three people who died Wednesday in rural Centre County mark the second time someone died from silo gases in Pennsylvania this year.
A person in Pennsylvania died of silo gases once in 2021, Penn State agricultural and biological engineering professor Judd Michael said.
Silo gas — formed by the natural fermentation of chopped silage shortly after it is placed in the silo — is not one of the leading causes of farming fatalities, but can be one of the most toxic.
Carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide are two of the most prevalent gases found in silos. The former is colorless and odorless, while the latter has a strong bleach-like odor and can appear yellow to reddish-brown.
Andrew Beiler, 47, and his two sons, Michael said, most likely inhaled carbon dioxide.
One of Beiler’s sons was working in the silo when his father checked on him, said Michael, citing first responder reports. The eldest Beiler jumped in to help, but was overcome by the gas. His second son followed, but was also overcome.
“This is often what happens with tragedies around farms where one family member or one employee will be overcome by some type of gas, and then someone else goes and tries to rescue them and they are also overcome,” Michael said. “This is how we have these multiple fatality events.”
Centre County Deputy Coroner Jason Brooks wrote in a statement Wednesday that Beiler and his two sons — a 19-year-old and a 14-year-old whose names were not released, died of asphyxiation due to silo gases. Their deaths were ruled accidental.
“Silo gas is a dangerous thing,” Centre County Farm Bureau President Dave Fetterolf said. “There’s no warning. It happens quick.”
Pennsylvania recorded 16 farm and agricultural fatalities in 2021, Michael said. The state recorded an average of about 29 deaths annually during the previous six years.
Men are much more likely to be fatally injured than women and the Anabaptist community recorded relatively high fatality rates, a 2020 study found.
This story was originally published September 21, 2022 at 4:35 PM.