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Your Health

Ag safety experts remind farmers that it’s essential to wear personal protective equipment when working with anhydrous ammonia.

Beware of Complacency
When Working with Anhydrous Ammonia

Anyone who handles anhydrous ammonia needs to understand the potential for injury and know how to respond in an emergency.

It’s easy for farmers to get complacent when working with anhydrous ammonia, said Kent McGuire, safety and health coordinator with the Ohio State University (OSU) College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.


Yet injuries from accidental exposure “could get very serious, very quickly,” McGuire said.


Anhydrous ammonia is one of the most widely used sources of nitrogen fertilizer among corn growers. The product is stored in tanks, called nurse tanks, as a liquid under pressure. Once it is released into the soil or the air, it turns to vapor.


Anyone who handles anhydrous ammonia needs to understand the potential for injury and know how to respond in an emergency, McGuire said.


“Once anhydrous ammonia makes contact with the skin, it can freeze tissue and cause a skin burn,” McGuire said. “As far as inhalation goes, it takes a very low dose of anhydrous ammonia to affect the lungs and breathing. In some cases, an unintended exposure can give you the sensation that the wind has been knocked out of you.”


Caustic burns to the skin and severe irritation to the eyes, lungs and respiratory system are all possible, and exposure to high concentrations can cause permanent injury, he said.


“Any time you’re working with the nurse tanks or the applicator and there is the potential for an unintentional release, you need to have on your personal protective equipment,” McGuire said. “Most people increase the risk of injury simply because they forgot or didn’t take the time to put on their personal protective equipment first.”


McGuire advises farmers to always be aware of their surroundings when working with anhydrous ammonia.


“Leave yourself an escape route in case there’s a release,” he said. “You want to avoid being downwind of it. The quicker you can get away from it and get to fresh air, the better.”


As farmers start preparing for the 2016 growing season, McGuire suggests reviewing the product safety data sheet themselves and with any family members or employees who will be working with anhydrous ammonia.


“It explains exposure controls, first-aid measures, emergency procedures and specific handling practices you should be following,” he said.


In addition, he suggests checking with local anhydrous ammonia suppliers for training opportunities.


“Many will have customer in-services where they discuss proper handling and safety procedures,” McGuire said. “Take full advantage of that. They are well-versed in safety precautions, and you can learn a lot from your local supplier.”


McGuire recently wrote about working safely with anhydrous ammonia for Ag Safety S.T.A.T. — Safe Tactics for Ag Today, a newsletter by Ohio State University Extension’s Agricultural Safety and Health Program.


Among McGuire’s recommendations:

For more of McGuire’s tips and other agricultural safety information from OSU Extension, see https://agsafety.osu.edu.


For additional information on anhydrous ammonia safety, see the National Ag Safety Database at nasdonline.org and search for “anhydrous ammonia.”


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Editor’s Note: Martha Filipic is a technical editor for OSU Extension.





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