User:Milton Beychok/Scratchpad: Difference between revisions

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== Safety concerns ==


There are several safety-related concerns with anhydrous ammonia and with aqueous solutions of ammonia. It is a respiratory irritant that is a highly hazardous chemical.<ref>[http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0028.html NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards]</ref> Release could take place through a simple industrial or transportation accident, a deliberate release caused by terrorists, or by improper handling by those using it in the illegal synthesis of [[methamphetamine]]s. 
Storage tanks on farms used for dispensing ammonia as fertilizer are referred to as ''nurse'' tanks and contain approximately 2,500 [[U.S. customary units|pounds]] (1134 [[kg]]) of anhydrous ammonia, so any farm with four or more nurse tanks needs to assess its safety. In fact, the [[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] (U.S. EPA) mandates the performance of an [[Offsite Consequence Analysis]] (OCA) as part of their [[Risk Management Plan]] (RMP) requirements for any facility that stores more than 10,000 pounds (4,536 kg) of anhydrous liquid ammonia or 20,000 pounds (9,072 kg) of aqueous solutions of ammonia.<ref>[http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/trmp.html Risk Management Plan] (from the website of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)</ref> The RMP requirements apply for ammonia refrigeration systems or any other ammonia storage facilities as well as farms. The [[U.S. Occupational Health & Safety Administration]](OSHA) has mandated very similar requirements as part of [[Process Safety Management]] (PSM) regulations for hazardous chemicals.<ref>[http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9760 Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals] (from the website of the U.S. Occupational Health & Safety Administration)</ref>
In transport, ammonia containers must have proper hazardous material placards, and, if the pertinent threshold quantitity is exceeded, may need additional safeguards, such as reporting the shipment to industry monitoring services such as CHEMTREC<ref name=Chemtrec>{{citation
| url = http://www.chemtrec.com/Chemtrec/
| title = CHEMTREC: the 24-hour HAZMAT Communications Center}}</ref> or additional local agencies. There may be restrictions on transporting hazardous materials through tunnels, or possibly streets in high-density areas.
The [[U.S. Department of Homeland Security]], citing its major concern as toxic release, lists anhydrous ammonia, or mixtures containing at least 1 percent ammonia, when stored in quantites of 10,000 pounds or more, as a chemical of interest,<ref name=DHS-CoI> {{citation | url = http://www.dhs.gov/xprevprot/programs/gc_1185897486043.shtm
| date = November 20, 2007
| title = 6 CFR Part 27 Appendix to Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards; Final Rule
| author = U.S. Department of Homeland Security}}</ref> which falls under the Risk for Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) regulations and guidance.<ref name=DHS6CF27> {{citation | url = http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/chemsec_appendixa-chemicalofinterestlist.pdf
| title = DHS Finalizes List of Chemicals Subject to Anti-terrorism Regs}}</ref> Organizations that store or transport more than the threshold quantity of 10,000 pounds, or believe they are at a higher than normal risk, should use the Chemical Security Assessment Tool. <ref name=CSAT>{{citation
| url = http://www.dhs.gov/xprevprot/programs/gc_1169501486197.shtm
| author = U.S. Department of Homeland Security
| title = Chemical Security Assessment Tool}}</ref>
The Environmental Protection Agency has issued an additional safeguards document, with special emphasis on the theft of ammonia.<ref name=EPANH3>{{citation
| url = http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/eoe/docs/csalert.pdf
| title = Chemical Safety Alert: Anhydrous Ammonia Theft
| author = U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
| date = March 2000}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}

Revision as of 16:06, 23 September 2008

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