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Anhydrous Ammonia

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Title: Anhydrous Ammonia


1
Anhydrous Ammonia
  • David W. Smith
  • Extension Safety Program
  • Texas Cooperative Extension

2
What is Anhydrous Ammonia?
  • Dry or pure undiluted ammonia
  • Colorless gas at normal pressure and temperature
  • Stored as a liquid under pressure
  • When pressure is released, the liquid evaporates
    forming an invisible gas with a strong, pungent
    odor
  • Human exposure can result in injury and death
  • Injected into the soil as a fertilizer

3
Health Effects
  • Vapors can cause severe burns to the outer
    tissues of the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs
  • Direct contact with liquid can cause severe
    freeze burns to the skin
  • Detectible by the nose at low concentrations
  • At large concentrations, vapor can cause
    convulsions, coughing, and difficult and painful
    breathing
  • Prolonged exposure can cause suffocation

4
Eye Injuries
  • Most serious hazard of ammonia exposure
  • If exposed, wash eyes immediately with water
  • Can cause permanent injury and blindness
  • Never wear contact if the possibility of exposure
    exists
  • Always wear goggles when handling anhydrous
    ammonia

5
Skin Damage
  • Ammonia is caustic to the skin
  • Skin burns and blisters may develop from a 2
    percent ammonia solution for 15 minutes or longer
  • Contact with liquid ammonia causes the water in
    the skin to freeze and rupture the cells as it
    expands
  • These wounds can be deep and slow healing

6
First Aid Inhalation
  • Immediately get to an uncontaminated area
  • Get medical assistance if the victim has chest or
    breathing problems, or a persisting cough
  • If exposure is severe, immediately call a
    physician
  • If available, administer oxygen to relieve pain
    and symptoms
  • If the victim is not breathing, start artificial
    respiration immediately. Keep the victim warm
    and at rest

7
First Aid Eye Contact
  • Flush eyes with water for at least 15 minutes.
    Even a small amount of ammonia in the eyes can
    cause damage.
  • Flush the entire eye surface and inner lining of
    the eyelids. Because the eyelids close
    voluntarily, hold the eyelids open while
    flushing.
  • If available, use a squeeze-type water bottle
    that will squirt water into the eyes

8
First Aid Eye Contact
  • If medical help is not available after 15
    minutes, continue flushing until you get medical
    attention.
  • Another emergency eye flushing method is to duck
    your head in a bucket of clean water, and blink
    and move eyes around.

9
First Aid Skin Contact
  • Any portion of your body which is splashed with
    or exposed to anhydrous ammonia should be flushed
    with water
  • If your clothes become saturated by liquid
    ammonia, they will probably freeze to your skin.
  • Get under a deluge shower or other source of
    water immediately.
  • Do not apply salves or ointments to ammonia
    burns. Get medical attention as soon as possible.

10
First Aid Swallowing
  • Call a doctor immediately
  • If the victim is conscious, he or she should
    swallow large amounts of water
  • If vomiting begins, place the victim face down
    with the head lower than the hips to prevent it
    from entering the lungs
  • If the victim is in shock or extreme pain, or is
    unconscious, do not try to give him or her water
    or induce vomiting

11
Personal Safety Equipment
  • Goggles
  • Gas-proof goggles provide the greatest level of
    protection
  • Ammonia gas can dissolve in the tears and
    penetrate the eye surface
  • When there is a splash risk, a full-face shield
    should be worn
  • Gloves
  • Rubber or polyethylene are ammonia resistant
  • Decontaminate gloves with water before you remove
    them

12
Personal Safety Equipment
  • Boots and Slicker
  • Wear them when you clean up a spill or when there
    is a likelihood of contacting anhydrous ammonia
  • Decontaminate with water before removing garments
  • Respirator
  • Wear when exposed to anhydrous ammonia leaks,
    spills, or releases
  • Make sure face pieces fit tightly
  • Check respirator for leaks around the edges

13
Handling and Storage
  • Containers should never be subject to rough
    handling or to mechanical shock such as dropping
    or bumping
  • Use proper handling equipment suitable for
    platforms, boats, or cradles for unloading by
    cranes
  • Use hand trucks, roll platforms, fork trucks, or
    similar devices with the container securely
    fastened to transport them.

14
Handling and Storage
  • Avoid dragging, sliding, or rolling them on the
    bottom edges as much as possible
  • Rack, block, or otherwise secure containers so
    that they are stored and used in a stable manner
  • Dont store containers near a potential heat
    source, such as flammable substances in direct
    sunlight
  • Containers should never reach a temperature above
    125 degrees Fahrenheit

15
Handling and Storage
  • Do not remove valve protection until you are
    ready to withdraw ammonia from the container
  • For empty containers, securely cap the opening,
    and mark or fasten an EMPTY tag on it. Store
    empty containers away from full containers.
  • Always keep at least 5 gallons of clean water
    near anhydrous storage and handling facilities in
    case of emergency

16
Theft Potential
  • Anhydrous ammonia is a key ingredient in the
    production of methamphetamine
  • Illegal drug dealers steal it from agricultural
    retail establishments and farms where it is
    stored
  • It only takes 5 gallons of anhydrous ammonia to
    produce 10 to 15 pounds of methamphetamine

17
Theft Potential
  • Criminals prefer to steal ammonia in small
    quantities, using small containers, to avoid
    tipping off a convenient source
  • Theft tends to occur in waves, with thieves
    striking the same location several times
  • Sources of anhydrous ammonia include
  • Refrigeration systems
  • Above-ground tanks on farms and dealerships

18
Cause for Suspicion
  • Customer wants to buy AA in small quantities
  • Customer cannot answer or is evasive about how
    the chemical will be used in agriculture
  • Customer insists on paying with cash, money order
    or cashiers check
  • Customer is a stranger to you and unfamiliar with
    the area or your business

19
Cause for Suspicion
  • Customer provides suspicious business or credit
    information
  • Customer is vague about or resists providing
    personal information
  • Customer intends to fill his or her own
    inappropriate tank (e.g., a 20-pound propane
    cylinder)

20
Signs of Theft
  • Loose valves on storage tanks
  • Footprints or tire tracks leading up to the
    storage tank
  • Items left around the storage tank including
  • Duct tape
  • Bicycle inner tubes
  • Coolers
  • Garden hoses or plastic tubing
  • Propane tanks

21
February 2000
  • Approximately 1,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia
    were released when someone intentionally opened a
    valve in the middle of the night at a fertilizer
    dealer in Missouri. Three hundred residents had
    to be evacuated from their homes and two people
    were reported respiratory problems. Ammonia theft
    has been almost a weekly occurrence at this
    facility. A law enforcement investigation is
    underway. Source EPA

22
May 1999
  • One person was killed when a makeshift container
    of anhydrous ammonia he was holding exploded. The
    ammonia was to be used for methamphetamine
    production. The death occurred while the victim
    and another person were driving on an interstate
    highway in Missouri. The driver was severely
    injured. A firefighter, an emergency medical
    technician and a bystander who had stopped to
    help and did not know the source of the smoke
    were also injured by the ammonia vapors. Source
    EPA

23
February 1996
  • Workers were transferring anhydrous ammonia from
    a railroad tank car into a bulk tank when a tank
    line was ruptured causing a noxious gas leak.
    Nearly all 1,800 residents in the nearby town
    were evacuated. Five people, including one
    firefighter, were hospitalized. About 25 others
    were injured. The victims complained of chest
    pains, respiratory problems, nausea and vomiting.
    Source CNN US News Briefs

24
Agricultural Dealer Safety Tips
  • Educate your employees about the potential for
    theft
  • Store tanks in well-lit areas
  • Keep a current inventory so you can identify
    missing chemicals quickly
  • Inspect tanks each morning, especially following
    weekends and other periods when the facility was
    not occupied

25
Agricultural Dealer Safety Tips
  • Have a plan to protect critical valves that could
    release anhydrous ammonia if left open
  • Install valve locks or fencing, especially for
    unattended tanks
  • Report thefts, signs of tampering, leaks, or any
    unusual activity to law enforcement immediately

26
Agricultural Dealer Safety Tips
  • Install motion detector lights, alarms, or video
    surveillance
  • Establish regular security patrols
  • Remove hoses from storage tanks during the
    off-season and store them separately from the
    tanks

27
Texas House Bill 2005
  • Makes it a state felony to
  • Possess anhydrous ammonia in a container not
    designed to hold it
  • Transport anhydrous ammonia in a container not
    designed to transport it
  • Use, deliver or sell a container or receptacle
    designed and manufactured to hold anhydrous
    ammonia without the consent of the containers
    owner
  • Tamper with equipment manufactured and used to
    hold, apply or transport anhydrous ammonia
    without the consent of the equipments owner

28
Farmer Safety Tips
  • Have tanks delivered as close to the time of
    application as possible and remove tanks
    immediately when the application is finished
  • Purchase locking devices for tank valves when you
    obtain the tank
  • Locate tanks in well-lit, secure areas where they
    are visible from your house and where valves are
    clearly visible

29
Farmer Safety Tips
  • Bleed and remove hoses when not in use
  • Check tanks regularly for signs of tampering and
    for other tell-tale signs of illegal activity
  • Block or barricade roads and lanes leading to the
    tank
  • Post No Trespassing signs on barricades
  • Make sure all tanks are labeled with signs that
    warn of hazardous chemicals

30
Farmer Safety Tips
  • Erect a fence or other barrier around the tank,
    with clearly visible warning signs
  • Place brightly colored plastic wire ties or seals
    between the valve wheel and the roll cage. Check
    regularly to see if they have been broken
  • If you discover someone near the tank, do not
    confront the person. Contact law enforcement.
  • Do not disturb a crime scene

31
Accident Liability
  • You could be sued by thieves who are injured in
    the process of stealing your anhydrous ammonia
  • In such cases, you must demonstrate that you took
    reasonable precautions to restrict access
  • Make sure all storage containers are clearly
    marked with warning decals
  • Restrict access using fences and barricades

32
Methamphetamine Labs
  • Frequently set up in remote, wooded areas on
    large farms
  • Labs often small and mobile
  • Signs include
  • Smell of ether
  • 5-gallon chemical cans and propane tanks
  • Empty bottles or other containers
  • Unusual tracks and attempts to conceal them

33
If you find a meth lab
  • Contact law enforcement immediately
  • Do not disturb the scene or remove any of the
    items
  • Cleanup must be done by specially trained people
    wearing head-to-toe protective suits and
    respirators
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