Can minor fumes from old tubular lead acid batteries cause permanent damage to lungs

[NewToAsthma]

I suspect that a pair of 6 year old tubular lead acid batteries 150Ah/12V each that are hooked up to my home UPS have been emitting smelly fumes especially in summers or after topping up with distilled water might have given me new asthma in the last 6 months since I noticed that fumes intensity had increased,

These batteries give normal backup and emit sulfuric acid like fumes that I can only smell when I stand and inhale near them and if I stand right above them there is tingling sensation in my nose and eyes, things like this I think may have burned my lungs and damaged them forever? They are kept inside a store room that is inside my home next to my bedroom, since I live in a room next to them I have certainly been inhaling the fumes for 24 hours a day, Do you think that the sulfuric acid fumes can cause damage to my lungs and burn them without letting me notice? the breathlessness doesn't comes on and goes frequently.

 

[BobK]

That is a medical question that I am not qualified to answer.

But... You might consider replacing them with newer sealed lead acid batteries, which would not emit fumes.

Bob

 

[kellys_eye]

Theoretically they issue hydrogen gas during charging - hence the requirement to ventilate and avoid connecting/disconnecting (sparks) when charging. Sulphuric acid fumes would also be present. Hydrogen sulphide is also probable.

There absolutely should NOT be any means of allowing gases to pass from room to room and the room they are kept in should be properly ventilated to reduce explosion risk.

Acid fume damage is potentially lethal so get yourself checked out and tell the doctors that you were in the presence of such fumes - but stopping inhaling them NOW is essential.

 

[ChosunOne]

Theoretically they issue hydrogen gas during charging - hence the requirement to ventilate and avoid connecting/disconnecting (sparks) when charging. Sulphuric acid fumes would also be present. Hydrogen sulphide is also probable.
(SNIPPED)

I've never smelled hydrogen sulfide from overcharged, leaking, or otherwise faulty lead-acid batteries. Granted that the batteries I've worked with are smaller than the OP's, and are sealed (usually), but the chemistry is the same. The batteries I've worked with were situated inside closed steel cabinets, along with their charging and voltage regulator circuits (among other circuits) so the cabinet tended to be warmer than ambient. Any "fumes" emitted from the batteries tended to collect in the cabinet.

I've read that it's theoretically possible for hydrogen sulfide (H2S) to be formed from charging or overcharging batteries, but frankly I'm skeptical. H2S has a very distinct smell of rotten eggs (because rotting eggs produce H2S) and I just find it unlikely that I wouldn't have come across that smell while I worked with literally tens of thousands of sealed lead-acid batteries in my career as an alarm tech, including a significant percentage of cases where the batteries leaked enough to corrode away the positive terminal. (It was always the positive terminal, sometimes both but the (+) went first). In a few cases, overcharging or shorted cells caused enough hydrogen buildup to deform and crack open the plastic battery casing (a problem you wouldn't see in an unsealed battery).


As for any acid vapor escaping the battery: What mostly escapes is hydrogen gas (during charging) and a small amount of sulfuric acid vapor (along with water vapor) is carried along with the gas. Sulfuric acid molecules (H2SO4) are more than twice the molecular weight of carbon dioxide, so they will tend to pool toward the floor; but of course, Brownian motion in the air will keep some of the acid molecules floating at mouth and nose level.

If your batteries are outgassing at an excessive level, you will probably find any exposed iron/steel (nail & screw heads, for example) visibly corroded. In which case, I'd seriously recommend you ventilate that room and consider upgrading the charging circuitry. You shouldn't have that much outgassing.

I wouldn't worry about hydrogen (H2) collecting in the room. Once H2 escapes its source of generation (batteries, in your case), it disperses very efficienty and doesn't pool in the ceiling unless your battery room is hermetically sealed, and even then hydrogen tends to find a way out. H2 is only dangerously concentrated at its source (batteries) and in movies.

I'm going to assume you never use more than 20% of the rated battery capacity during a power outage, since that's what keeps your batteries from getting worn out (not holding as much charge) within a few years. If you have used more than that regularly, then your batteries are old and need to be changed.

As for your medical issues: I'm with BobK and kellys_eye, you need to consult with a doctor about that.

 

[NewToAsthma]

I've never smelled hydrogen sulfide from overcharged, leaking, or otherwise faulty lead-acid batteries. Granted that the batteries I've worked with are smaller than the OP's, and are sealed (usually), but the chemistry is the same. The batteries I've worked with were situated inside closed steel cabinets, along with their charging and voltage regulator circuits (among other circuits) so the cabinet tended to be warmer than ambient. Any "fumes" emitted from the batteries tended to collect in the cabinet.

I've read that it's theoretically possible for hydrogen sulfide (H2S) to be formed from charging or overcharging batteries, but frankly I'm skeptical. H2S has a very distinct smell of rotten eggs (because rotting eggs produce H2S) and I just find it unlikely that I wouldn't have come across that smell while I worked with literally tens of thousands of sealed lead-acid batteries in my career as an alarm tech, including a significant percentage of cases where the batteries leaked enough to corrode away the positive terminal. (It was always the positive terminal, sometimes both but the (+) went first). In a few cases, overcharging or shorted cells caused enough hydrogen buildup to deform and crack open the plastic battery casing (a problem you wouldn't see in an unsealed battery).


As for any acid vapor escaping the battery: What mostly escapes is hydrogen gas (during charging) and a small amount of sulfuric acid vapor (along with water vapor) is carried along with the gas. Sulfuric acid molecules (H2SO4) are more than twice the molecular weight of carbon dioxide, so they will tend to pool toward the floor; but of course, Brownian motion in the air will keep some of the acid molecules floating at mouth and nose level.

If your batteries are outgassing at an excessive level, you will probably find any exposed iron/steel (nail & screw heads, for example) visibly corroded. In which case, I'd seriously recommend you ventilate that room and consider upgrading the charging circuitry. You shouldn't have that much outgassing.

I wouldn't worry about hydrogen (H2) collecting in the room. Once H2 escapes its source of generation (batteries, in your case), it disperses very efficienty and doesn't pool in the ceiling unless your battery room is hermetically sealed, and even then hydrogen tends to find a way out. H2 is only dangerously concentrated at its source (batteries) and in movies.

I'm going to assume you never use more than 20% of the rated battery capacity during a power outage, since that's what keeps your batteries from getting worn out (not holding as much charge) within a few years. If you have used more than that regularly, then your batteries are old and need to be changed.

As for your medical issues: I'm with BobK and kellys_eye, you need to consult with a doctor about that.

I have an appointment with the doctor but I am sure he would not let me know the root cause and label my breathlessness as "idiopathic" or like a disease of an unknown origin so I have been looking for an answer to that unknown origin that I suspect are these batteries.

As far as the fumes are concerned the fumes do smell like a mix of distilled water and sulfuric acid I have been using them quite much and my batteries don't have cabinets that cover them, they're uncovered with exposed caps and water level indicator tubes. they came like that from the factory, Now I think I have to search and look for corroded nails and stuff

 

[NewToAsthma]

Yup there is rusty appearance on the plastic wire of the connections to the mains and a piece of an tin metal sheet has been eaten half by the overflowing watery stuff that has been collected inside the battery trays over the last couple of months.

P.S. I am fixing to re-locate these bitches to the first floor and talked to the electrician dude, he gave me an appointment for tomorrow

 

[duke37]

You appear to be vastly overcharging the cells and the gassing is blowing acid all over the place, each cell should have a vented stopper which will catch acid droplets.

Hydrogen will difuse quickly but inside the cell is a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen at the optimum concentrations for an explosion as my nephew found out when he decided to loosen the stoppers and then do some angle grinding close by. There was a water trough near which saved him from severe burns.

 

[NewToAsthma]

You appear to be vastly overcharging the cells and the gassing is blowing acid all over the place, each cell should have a vented stopper which will catch acid droplets.

Hydrogen will difuse quickly but inside the cell is a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen at the optimum concentrations for an explosion as my nephew found out when he decided to loosen the stoppers and then do some angle grinding close by. There was a water trough near which saved him from severe burns.

Hi thanks for the input, I'm afraid I won't be able to control the charging, these are two monster batteries which are charged automatically by the UPS itself, when it is charging the batteries it shows a "charging" sign in the display and then it stops charging them and then displays 99% charged, although never 100%! May be you're absolutely right, these bitches are spitting acid but how come their back up is quite good as there must be no acid left in them by now since they've been doing this for 2 years?

 

[Y2KEDDIE]

I worked

I suspect that a pair of 6 year old tubular lead acid batteries 150Ah/12V each that are hooked up to my home UPS have been emitting smelly fumes especially in summers or after topping up with distilled water might have given me new asthma in the last 6 months since I noticed that fumes intensity had increased,

These batteries give normal backup and emit sulfuric acid like fumes that I can only smell when I stand and inhale near them and if I stand right above them there is tingling sensation in my nose and eyes, things like this I think may have burned my lungs and damaged them forever? They are kept inside a store room that is inside my home next to my bedroom, since I live in a room next to them I have certainly been inhaling the fumes for 24 hours a day, Do you think that the sulfuric acid fumes can cause damage to my lungs and burn them without letting me notice? the breathlessness doesn't comes on and goes frequently.[

 

[Y2KEDDIE]

I had maintained relatively large battery banks (130V @ 1200 Ahr) for 25 years as a Automation Tech in the Natural Gas industry.. The sulfuric/lead / acid types typically emit Hydrogen gas, and hydrogen gas detectors were used to turn on an exhaust fan @ 25 ppm hydrogen room level. Hydrogen is odorless and not an irritant, but explosive. So explosion proof electrical precautions were taken.

H2S was never a consideration with these batteries. I never smelled it working with batteries, and I have witnessed some severely sulfated and "boiling" batteries.

I know the odor of H2S as it was a contaminant in many of our Storage wells, and I was responsible for calibration and maintaining H2S detection and alarming. It has a very distinctive rotten egg smell, similar to the mercaptan used to odorize natural gas (natural gas is odorless) for household use. H2S is typically noticeable at 10ppm. It is an irritant ,and not good to breath for long periods. I have been exposed to 100 pmm while calibrating instruments for 3-5 min without harm. Exposure for hours could be lethal. Some storage wells can contain 3000-1000ppm H2S. H2S is typically extracted with a chemical dehydration process