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B2: Ammonia
Pages 39-60

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From page 39...
... Formula: NH3 CAS number: 7664-41-7 Molecular weight: 17.0 Boiling point: -33.5°C Melting point: -77,7°C Vapor pressure: 8.5 atm at 20°C for liquid NH3 Conversion factors at 25°C, ~ ann: ~ ppm = 0.69 mg/m3 ~ mg/m3 = I .44 ppm Vapor OCCURRENCE AND USE Ammonia can be used in coolant loops as a refrigerant. There is an internal biological source of ammonia from amino acid metabolism (White et al., 1978~.
From page 40...
... TOXICITY SUMMARY Mechanisms of Tissue Injuries Ammonia's principal toxic effect is to irritate mucous membranes, causing burning sensation in the eyes, nose, and throat with little systemic toxicity, but sensory fatigue develops toward He irritation with continuous or repetitive exposure (Hatton et al., 1979~. In accidental massive exposures, ammonia harms the tissue it comes in contact in two ways (Arwooc} et al., 1985~.
From page 41...
... ZurIo (1956) reported that unadapted workers found 20-ppm ammonia irritating to the mucous membranes, but adapted workers did not complain of any irritating sensation upon lon~term exposures to 20 ppm.
From page 42...
... 42 a .= a: ~0 .~ .~ Ed o .~ 3 3 .o 3 Ed Cat .~ ~ ~ ~ .~ ~ .
From page 43...
... Based on their experiences in manufacturing plants for ammonia, nitrate, and urea, Vigliani and Zurlo (1956) reported that workers, presumably adapted, could not breathe lOO-ppm ammonia for too long without developing irritation of the upper respiratory tract and the conjunctiva.
From page 44...
... a rupture of refrigerant storage tanks, tank trucks, or railroad tank cars containing many gallons of anhydrous liquid ammonia (Price et al., 1983; Close et al., 1980; Montague and Macneil, 1980; Kass et al., 1972; Flury et al., 1983~. In the first group of cases, the victims were situated close enough to the ruptured tank that they came in direct contact with anhydrous ammonia and also inhaled the ammonia vapor at presumably very high concentrations (Close et al., 1980~.
From page 45...
... Initially the victims appeared to have sustained very little internal injuries because, upon hospital admission, both the chest examination and x-ray were normal and only one of nine of the victims developed hypoxemia. Because the victims did not develop upper airway obstruction acutely, Weir lungs were not protected against ammonia at concentrations too low to cause acute lung damage but sufficient to lead to insidious lung damage.
From page 46...
... The fig group finally recovered about ~ w after the exposure (Montague and Macneit, 1980~. In summary, massive ammonia exposures usually cause chemical burns of He face, eyes, pharynx, or even the torso; some degree of mucosal injury of He tracheobronchial tree; productive cough; ant]
From page 47...
... Increases in the work of breathing, airway resistance, and pulmonary tissue resistance agreed with pathological changes in He air conducting pathways, anti a lack of change in the functional residual capacity agreed with He lack of central lung damage. On the seventh day after exposure, the mucosal lesions were healer!
From page 48...
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From page 49...
... 49 oo ' i' ~·.
From page 50...
... 50 i: As cd a, a)
From page 51...
... 51 0 0 l ~ ~ ~ · · (~\ ·~ ~ (~ an ~ ~ - ~ a: ^ oo ~ - ~ ~ · i, =~ 8 8 8 8 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .° .c ·~ al .~ C D .
From page 52...
... Based on ~eir indus~ial experiences (~ey studied ~e heal~ effects in workers and measured ~e ammonia concen~ations in various industrial plants) , Vigliani and Zurio reported dlat 20-ppm ammonia could produce eye and nose discomfort in unadapted workers, but no complaints in adapted workers.
From page 53...
... In eight uninured human volunteers studied by Verberk, 50-ppm ammonia was found to cause irritation Hat was, on the average, "just perceptible" in 2 h (Verberk, 1977~. When the individual eye-irritation responses of He eight uninured volunteers exposed to 50-ppm ammonia for 2 h in Verberk's study were examined, it was discovered Hat the individual responses ranged from "no sensation," "just perceptible," "distinctively perceptible," to "nuisance." Although none of the eight uninured volunteers experienced "offensive" eye irritation in the 2-h exposure at 50 ppm, it is obvious Hat 50 ppm could be irritating in some people.
From page 54...
... However, the 7-cl, 30-d, and IS0-d SMACs are not set relying on these animal data because the data provide no information on irritation sensation of ammonia.
From page 55...
... Ten parts per million is selectee} as the 7-d NOAEL. Because Be 7-d NOAEL was derived from the experience of Vigliani and Zurio with workers in various manufacturing plants with ammonia exposures in Italy (Vigliani and Zurlo, 1956)
From page 56...
... 1984. Respiratory tract lesions induced by sensory irritants at the RD50 concentration.
From page 57...
... 1980. Ammonia inhalation toxicity in cats: A study of acute and chronic respiratory dysfunction.
From page 58...
... 1967. Means of Measuring the Maximum Allowable Concentrations of Toxic Products of Natural Human Metabolism.
From page 59...
... 1956. Ehfahrungen cler clinica del lavoro mit einigen maximalen arbeitsplatzkonzentrationen (MAK)


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