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Dairy farmer experiences a sudden silo gas incident

Wray Brubacher, a Wellington County dairy farmer, was overcome by an odourless gas in an 80-foot silo and passed out on a chute rung after setting up the blower with his son half an hour earlier.
A small clump lodged at the unloader elbow plugged the pipe while filling, rendering the silo unloader ineffective and causing gas to accumulate in one filled silo but not the other.
Doctors described his dilated pupils, green skin and laboured breathing after rescue, and he remained under surveillance for 8 hours as medical staff warned the gas `cancels out the oxygen, causing sudden death`.
Doctors advise that both types of silo gas require emergency room guidance, as nitrogen dioxide can cause fatal lung injury even at low exposure, while orange, bleach‑scented silo gas is easier to detect than odourless, colourless silo gas.
After delaying silo leveling, a farmer hurried to set up unloaders and missed a 30‑second precaution, hoping to remind farmers to slow down and take safety steps.

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