Natural gas is a safe and reliable energy source, and as your provider, it’s our responsibility to help you be an informed and educated natural gas customer. 
 
Natural gas is normally an odorless and invisible gas. For your safety, Piedmont Natural Gas odorizes the natural gas with Mercaptan to smell like rotten eggs or sulfur for easy detection. Once a year, we mail bill inserts with a “scratch and sniff” Mercaptan odorant to help ensure customers are familiar with the smell.

Call Piedmont at 1-800-752-7504 if you smell natural gas or suspect a leak! Always call 911 for emergencies.

How to Recognize a Natural Gas Leak
Indoor leaks will produce the “rotten egg” odor. You may also notice hissing noises coming from your natural gas appliances.  You can recognize outdoor leaks by a strong odor which may be accompanied by bubbling water, blowing dirt, dead plants or a hissing sound near a gas line or meter. 

Here are some quick tips on what to do if you notice any of these signs and suspect an indoor or outdoor natural gas leak:

• If you suspect an indoor or outdoor leak:
  • Leave the area immediately
  • DO NOT use anything electrical that may create a spark; this includes cell phones
  • DO NOT operate any light switches
  • DO NOT light a match
  • Call Piedmont at 1-800-752-7504, or call 911 (call from a neighbor’s house or from another location far from the smell of natural gas)
  • DO NOT attempt to locate the source of a leak
  • DO NOT attempt to stop a leak
     
• Do not return to the area until Piedmont Natural Gas or the emergency services have declared the area safe

Protect Yourself against Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can result as a byproduct of incomplete burning of natural gas or other fossil fuels.

• Make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector
• Make sure all gas appliances are installed correctly and checked annually              
• Have chimneys cleaned and checked every year for obstructions             
• Don’t use outdoor appliances or equipment indoors for space heating or cooking
• Symptoms of CO poisoning:
  • Flu-like symptoms              
  • Headache              
  • Drowsiness              
  • Ringing sensation in the ears              
  • Nausea              
  • Blurred vision              
  • Chest pains              
  • Light-headedness or dizziness

Material Safety Data Sheets 
Material Safety Datasheet for Natural Gas

Pipeline Awareness Mailer

Natural Gas Pipeline Safety