Ammonia gas is an element that is composed of nitrogen and hydrogen, by using the formula chemically NH3. It is a colorless gas that can be identified by its smell as it has an intense smell. Ammonia gas is used for fertilizers and refrigerants, however , you're likely to detect it before it is harmful to your health. The risk ammonia gas poses is determined by the amount and the amount of time exposure that you've had to endure. Read more here: https://www.blacklinesafety.com/solutions/gas-sensors/nh3
Gas Characteristics
Colorless
State of the gas
Compressed
Toxic
Flammable
Corrosive
Lighter than air
Water soluble
Explosive (at high concentrations and in tight space)
Pungent, suffocating odor
Can decompose at high temperatures forming very flammable hydrogen gas
OTHER NAMES: Anhydrous ammonia, ammonia, azane, hydrogen nitride
Industrial NH3 hazards
farms: The compost piles that are located on mushroom farms emit ammonia gases. Manure pits, as as any enclosed or indoor areas where animals are kept from farms could be the source for ammonia gases.
Refrigeration System Ice skating rinks as well as factories for ice make use of liquid ammonia. If it leaks out the liquid, it is transformed into gas.
Fertilizers and Cleaners Liquid ammonia is usually mixed with other chemicals.
Some manufacturing procedures also use ammonia
It is possible to be exposed to ammonia by using products for cleaning that have ammonia
Other sources of occupational exposure are the silvering of reflective mirrors, making of tanning leather, glue and around nitriding furnaces.
Ammonia is created as an end-product of coal distillation and by the steam action on calcium cyanamide as well as through the decomposition of nitrogenous substances
Ammonia naturally occurs inside soybean (8,600 ppm) and in the seeds from the evening primrose (2,300-2,455 ppm) as well as lambsquarter and leaf tobacco (Duke 1992).
Ammonia leaks are increasing due to the growing use of natural refrigerants in preference to alternative fluorinated gases.
(Process Equipment & Control News)
High Risk Scenarios
Ammonia levels are usually higher in warm than colder ones.
In a closed space ammonia could explode when the ignition source is in place
In the absence of accidental releases of ammonia the danger of being exposed to very high levels of ammonia is highest during the time when space is restricted for entry
Technically speaking, when an employee falls off the surface of an opening. They is actually entering the enclosed area. When ammonia is present, employees must be aware that enclosed areas can pose dangers for their health.
In the case of a leak , or CSE procedure , it would be wrong to believe that the ammonia smell is a sufficient warning to notify