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More than 5,893 leaks in the aging natural gas pipelines have been found under the streets of Washington, D.C., according to new study. Leaks at a dozen locations had concentrations high enough to trigger explosions. 

A team of researchers from Duke University and Boston University found that some manholes even had methane concentrations as high as 500,000 parts per million of natural gas. This is about then 10 times greater than the threshold required for an explosion. 

Even after steps taken to cover the leaks, researchers found that the nine were still emitting dangerous levels of methane. 

"Finding the leaks a second time, four months after we first reported them, was really surprising," said Robert B. Jackson, a professor of environmental sciences at Duke who led the study, in a press release. 

"Repairing these leaks will improve air quality, increase consumer health and safety, and save money," Jackson said. "Pipeline safety has been improving over the last two decades. Now is the time to make it even better."

According to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration every year, natural gas pipelines failures causes an average of 17 fatalities, 68 injuries and $133 million in property damage. 

Apart form the explosion hazards, natural gas leaks also possess threat to environmental pollution by emitting methane - one of the most powerful greenhouse gas that sometime even catalyzes ozone formation. 

"Methane emissions from these four leaks ranged from 9,200 to 38,200 liters per day for each leak -- that's comparable to the amount of natural gas used by between 2 and 7 homes," said Duke Ph.D. student Adrian Down who contributed to the study, in a press release.

"We need to put the right financial incentives in place," added Jackson. "Companies and public utility commissions need help to fix leaks and replace old cast iron pipes more quickly." 

The findings of the research has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology.