Friday March 24 8:11 AM ET

Mystery night smell alarms Argentine capital

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - A mystery smell of gas wafting through large parts of Argentina's capital Buenos Aires for a second straight night Tuesday has citizens worried and authorities baffled.

Emergency services received hundreds of calls from people fearing a gas leak in a huge area of the city, and the mayor's office lodged a criminal complaint to determine where the strong smell is coming from. Several people complained of nausea.

Gas companies said tests had proven that their pipes were functioning properly and officials said they believed that the substance causing the alarm was a nontoxic chemical usually added to natural gas so that leaks can be detected easily.

``We know it's not a gas leak, that was shown by measurements in the sewers and the drainage system, so people can relax about that,'' said Jorge Ferronato, responsible for public services at the Buenos Aires City government.

On both Monday and Tuesday, the smell seeped through a broad swathe of the city from suppertime until before dawn.

City authorities said they suspect that the smell might be leaking from an unlicensed chemicals plant, perhaps more than 100 miles upwind from the city. The highly fragrant chemicals added to gas can be detected in tiny concentrations by people.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000324/od/argentina_smell_1.html

-- - (x@xxx.com), March 24, 2000

Answers

You've been drinking that jiggle juice again, huh?

:o)

(I'll take up that gauntlet with you tomorrow. I hope you) have a sense of humor, too ;o)

~*~

-- Laura (Ladylogic@...), March 24, 2000.

Opps, I'm sorry, x. I meant to post this in the thread above you.

Ha ha! I'm laughing at myself big time here.

Later! I gotta go find the right thread!

-- (Ladylogic@...), March 24, 2000.