Ammonia

Ammonia is a colorless gas with a strong, irritating smell. It is widely used as a refrigerant in meatpacking, poultry, and other food processing plants.

Hazards of Ammonia

Ammonia leaks can be very dangerous. These leaks in the refrigeration pipes carrying ammonia to the coolers can endanger all workers in your plant; therefore, it is important to make sure you are protected when one occurs!

Ammonia is extremely irritating, and may severely burn your skin and eyes upon contact. During a leak, a cloud of ammonia gas causes burning and swelling of the air passages of the nose, throat and lungs. Workers exposed to very serious leaks may survive the accident, but may die later from pulmonary edema, a buildup of fluid in the lungs caused by the damaging effect of the gas. Workers may suffer permanent lung and eye problems as a result of exposure to high levels of ammonia.

Nausea and watering eyes from ammonia fumes pose an additional safety hazard to workers who must work with sharp knives and precision cutting equipment.

Not much is known about the long-term effects of ammonia. Frequent exposure to small amounts of other irritating gases can lead to bronchitis, persistent cough, and excess mucus production. It may also decrease your body's ability to get rid of foreign substances, like dusts, from your airways. Chronic (long-term) exposure to ammonia may, therefore, harm you by itself or in combination with other occupational hazards and infectious diseases. Read more >> PDF 62KB

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