Dairy farms are often portrayed as quaint and bucolic. But on the ground, the dairy industry is among the most hazardous to work in — the combination of heavy machinery, thousands of large animals, and the millions of tons of toxic manure that they produce creates a perfect environment for injuries, and even death.

This was made painfully, tragically clear when last week, six workers — five adults and one teenager — were killed at a Colorado dairy farm 45 miles northeast of Denver. Four were part of an extended family, including a father and two sons.

Local officials haven’t said much about the deaths, other than confirming the victims died from “gas exposure in a confined space.” The source of the gas? Cow manure.

According to two unnamed dairy industry sources who spoke with Denver’s

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