Foul Philly odor not flatulence or gas leak but non-toxic chemical: Officials

A smell similar to rotten eggs that permeated many parts of Philadelphia Friday night wasn’t flatulence but the release of a non-toxic chemical, NBC10 reported.

A sulfur-like scent can sometimes indicate a gas leak, according to Philadelphia Gas Works, so many residents flooded PGW and local authorities with concerned calls. The odor stretched from South Philly and Center City to Northeast Philly and lower Bucks County.

Officials discovered late Friday night that the odor was caused by an unidentified plant in South Philly using too much of a non-dangerous additive that gives gas a smell so leaks can be detected.

Naturally, Philadelphians took to social media to discuss the smell, and a snoop through Reddit discovered that many owe their spouses and dogs an apology.

“Been blaming my dog for hours. Will apologize when she is done hating me,” user christinezilla wrote.

Wiredbeatbox also blamed their four-legged friend. “First we thought the dog farted, but it wasn’t going away so I let the dog outside and the smell smacked me in the face when I opened the door.”

“At least you blamed your dog. When my husband first smelled it, he blamed me and not the dog,” KlimRous replied.

“Just spent the last 2 hours cleaning my garbage disposal and dishes,” wrote blk_sip. “Of course I should’ve checked reddit first.”

One Reddit user, however used the overpowering odor to their advantage.

“Gonna hit that first-gas-pass milestone with the lady and she won’t even know it,” Papadima wrote.