What does ammonia do

Ammonia is a common ingredient in household and commercial cleaners. Ammonia is a very strong chemical that can be corrosive. We will give you the facts on ammonia and explain why at Blueland, we keep ammonia out of our cleaning products. What Is Ammonia? In its natural state, ammonia is a gas with a strong odor. Ammonia is primarily used in fertilizer, but it is also used in cleaning products in the form of ammonia hydroxide.

Ammonia hydroxide is gaseous ammonia dissolved in water. Ammonia is a fast-drying chemical and is especially common in glass and mirror cleaners. Though ammonia is found in a lot of traditional cleaning products, it does have some serious health risks associated with it. How Can Ammonia Impact Me? Ammonia is known to cause irritation to the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract.

Ammonia exposure can come from inhaling or touching ammonia. It's relevant in ammonia poisoning too. It could be one of the reasons above powder in lungs or a general inflammatory reaction. Think about what ammonia does to your cells. It destroys them, corrodes them on contact. So - it makes sense that if powder or liquid got to the lungs, breathing would become difficult. If you experience difficulty breathing, call If available, you should breathe in and out of a paper bag.

When your body senses something out of place, all the systems unite and ignite to get rid of it. That means you could breathe heavy, for what you think is no good reason. The same idea as difficult and rapid breathing above. Wheezing is what happens when there's some blockage of your airway. This may be inflammation of the poison reaction. Do you know the feeling of a bad fever, where all of a sudden everything aches and the room starts to spin?

That could be the onset of ammonia poisoning. Another way your body will deal with a poison is by shutting down processes it deems unnecessary during the high-panic time of poison. That means your brain is taking resources away from your body's attempt to reject the poison. As so, you may pass out or collapse. Don't let it get to this point. You don't know how long you could be out and when you wake up it may be too late. Especially in the cases where ammonia is swallowed or comes into contact with mucous membranes eyes, nose , swelling and pain can occur.

If you start to feel your upper airways or mucous membranes swell, it could cut off your breathing next. If you ingest the poison by swallowing it or inhaling, you may find yourself bent over holding your stomach. Vomiting is another way your body tries to rid itself of something harmful.

If you're naturally vomiting, let the body run its course. You should still get help, but don't suppress the urge to vomit. If you suspect you or someone you know has ammonia poisoning, you need to call the poison center first. The number for your local poison center should be saved in your phone. If they tell you to hang up and call the EMTs, do so. Do not ignore their advice, they're experts at what they do. The best way to deal with ammonia and bleach poisoning is to never deal with it at all!

You can have filters and monitors installed in your home or commercial building that sense unsafe levels. It is essential in the body as a building block for making proteins and other complex molecules. In nature, ammonia occurs in soil from bacterial processes. It is also produced when plants, animals and animal wastes decay. Ammonia is a colorless highly irritating gas with a sharp suffocating odor. It dissolves easily in water to form ammonium hydroxide solution which can cause irritation and burns.

Ammonia gas is easily compressed and forms a clear, colorless liquid under pressure. It is usually shipped as a compressed liquid in steel cylinders. Ammonia is not highly flammable, but containers of ammonia may explode when exposed to high heat. Ammonia is also used as a refrigerant gas, to purify water supplies, and in the manufacture of plastics, explosives, fabrics, pesticides, dyes and other chemicals.

It is found in many household and industrial-strength cleaning solutions. Cleaning solutions for industrial use contain higher concentrations of ammonia and can quickly cause irritation and burns.

Most people are exposed to ammonia from breathing its gas or vapors. Since ammonia exists naturally and is also present in cleaning products, exposure may occur from these sources. The widespread use of ammonia on farms and in industrial and commercial locations means that exposure can also occur from an accidental release or from a deliberate terrorist attack.

Ammonia gas is lighter than air and will rise, so that generally it does not settle in low-lying areas. However, in the presence of moisture, ammonia can form vapors that are heavier than air.

These vapors can spread along the ground or other low-lying areas. When ammonia enters the body as a result of breathing, swallowing or skin contact, it reacts with water to produce ammonium hydroxide. This chemical is very corrosive and damages cells in the body on contact. Ammonia is corrosive. The severity of health effects depends on the route of exposure, the dose and the duration of exposure.

Exposure to high concentrations of ammonia in air causes immediate burning of the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract and can result in blindness, lung damage or death. Inhalation of lower concentrations can cause coughing, and nose and throat irritation.

Swallowing ammonia can cause burns to the mouth, throat and stomach. Skin or eye contact with concentrated ammonia can also cause irritation and burns.

If you have been exposed to a large release of ammonia such as from a tanker truck rollover or from a leaking tanker rail car, take the following steps:.