Despite the fact that technology has made it relatively safe for homes to be powered by natural gas, there are still some inherent risks associated with its use. The most obvious being a fire hazard and it’s toxicity to humans and animals. With it’s lack of odor to the human nose a gas leak used to be nearly impossible to detect. That is why gas suppliers throughout the state of Texas and the United States add a chemical called mercaptan to their natural gas supply. This makes potential gas leaks detectable to the human nose quite easily.