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THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. (AP) -- A large dairy feedlot near Thief River Falls has gotten so smelly that state health officials recently advised people nearby to evacuate.
The hydrogen sulfide fumes have been at high levels at Excel Dairy, and people living nearby have complained of headaches, nausea and weakness.
At least three families evacuated Sunday night with more leaving Monday. About 40 people live within a mile of the dairy, which has 1,500 cows.
Jeff Brouse, who lives near the dairy in northwestern Minnesota, says he left with his two children on Thursday. He's concerned the fumes could cause brain damage.
"It's so strong and so sour and so potent that it takes your breath right away," Brouse said. "You may not smell it at 6 p.m., and then the wind will change and all of a sudden at 9 or 10 it's like a wall of stench that rolls right through the house."
Brouse said the manure pits at Excel Dairy have been giving the neighbors headaches -- literally -- since the beginning.
"It's so nauseous we've had neighbors throw up in their driveways," Brouse said.
The farm's permit shows that it isn't allowed to put out 30 parts-per-billion of the rotten-egg smell past its property line. Neighbors have taken air measurements in recent days that they say are more than 200 times higher than what state air quality standards allow.
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