Things you should know about Anhydrous Ammonia if you live within a half mile of a thousand gallons or more. One averaged sized anhydrous ammonia nurse tank contains 1500 gallons. 51 average sized full nurse tanks stored in Turtle Lake, North Dakota would equal 75,600 gallons. Add the capacity of the bulk storage tank and a full semi truck tank load and the total capacity is at times likely well over 100,000 gallons of anhydrous ammonia stored within the city of Turtle Lake, ND. As much as 75,600 gallons is potentially stored in a count of 51 nurse tanks parked for several weeks at a time (in the spring and the fall) within 200 feet of a Caution, Children Playing sign in Turtle Lake ND. Over the past 15 years, almost 1,000 accidents have occurred at 678 of the facilities storing large quantities of anhydrous ammonia, and 133 of those facilities had multiple accidents. In other words, 6.8 percent of the facilities storing anhydrous ammonia had an accident in the past 15 years, and over a fifth of these had multiple accidents. These accidents resulted in 19 deaths, 1,651 injuries, and almost $350 million in property damage. Moreover, 63,676 people in the facilities and surrounding communities had to be evacuated when accidents occurred. Ammonia is a colorless gas and it has a characteristic, pungent, choking odor. Ammonia sharply irritates the eyes and air passages to the lungs. At high concentrations it makes the lungs fill with fluid, which can QUICKLY cause death unless prompt medical aid is given. The chemical formula for ammonia is NH3. The word anhydrous means devoid of, or without water. Therefore Anhydrous Ammonia is merely pure ammonia with no added water. POTENTIAL HAZARDS HEALTH Ammonia may be fatal if inhaled. The vapors are extremely irritating and corrosive. Contact with ammonia gas or liquefied ammonia may cause burns to the skin, and in the case of escaping ammonia gas, severe frostbite or freezing of the skin and flesh. A fire at an ammonia source will produce irritating corrosive and toxic gases. Runoff from fire control efforts may cause ground and groundwater pollution. FIRE OR EXPLOSION Ammonia will not ignite in air. It will burn in pure oxygen. Ammonia gas, while only about half as dense as air is still heavy enough so that it will sink to ground level instead of remaining suspended in the air. Therefore, it will spread mostly along, or near to, the ground, rather than blowing like a full cloud. Containers of anhydrous ammonia are under great pressure. Anhydrous ammonia containers may explode when heated and cylinders may rocket when ruptured. PUBLIC SAFETY Call CHEMTREC 1-800-424-9300 Set up an initial isolation zone from the spill or leak for at least 300 feet in ALL directions. Remove all persons and animals in a crosswind direction to outside the initial isolation zone. Keep all unauthorized personnel away. This includes all administrative personnel unless they are part of the institutions Emergency Management Team. All personnel are to stay upwind of the spill/leak. Since ammonia gas will spread along the ground...it will collect in low or confined areas, such as, basements, ground depressions, underground access points under manhole covers, etc. Therefore, all personnel are to stay out of these low areas. Closed spaces (even on the same level as the spill/leak) are to be well ventilated before entering. Just opening doors and windows is not sufficient. If ANY odor of ammonia is present, the ventilation must be forced by use of large volume fans. Note: since ammonia in air is NOT flammable or explosive, the use of Fire Department smoke ejector electric fans is permissible. PROTECTIVE CLOTHING Positive pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) is a MUST. Use of older demand type SCBA units should NOT be allowed. Structural firefighting protective clothing is NOT effective in ammonia spill/leak situations. It should be worn in FIRE situations only. Chemical protective clothing should be worn. It must be remembered that chemical protective clothing provides NO thermal protection. EVACUATION If ammonia is evident in a downwind direction at the edge of the initial isolation circle, then the isolation zone must be extended out on the downwind side for at least an additional 1000feet (.2miles). The width of this extended isolation zone beyond the initial isolation circle should be equal to the length of the zone, ie. 1000feet. Evacuation areas may be altered due to varying weather conditions. Very light winds may shorten evacuation areas, while strong winds may preclude increasing the evacuation area. Incident Command should be cautious of wind direction and wind speed changes occurring during the operation. While higher wind speeds will help to disperse the ammonia gas into the atmosphere more rapidly, it will also extend the isolation area farther downwind during the early stages of the operation. Precipitation in any form, drizzle, rain, snow, etc., may suppress the expansion of the ammonia cloud into the atmosphere, but it will keep the cloud more dense in the initial area. FIRE On small fires dry chemical or CO2 may be used. Note difference from fighting Chlorine fires. On large fires ... water spray, fog, or regular foam. DO NOT GET WATER INSIDE THE AMMONIA CONTAINERS. Move undamaged containers from the fire area if it can be done without risk. Fires involving tanks: Fight fires from a maximum distance using unmanned hoses or monitors. Cool containers with flooding quantities of water until well after the fire is out. DO NOT direct water at source of leak or safety devices. ICING MAY OCCUR. Withdraw immediately in case of rising sound from venting safety devices or discoloration of tank. ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM ENDS OF TANKS. SPILL OR LEAK Fully encapsulating vapor protective clothing should be worn for spills and leaks with no fire. Do not touch or walk through spilled material. Stop leak if you can do so without risk. If possible, turn leaking containers so that gas escapes rather than liquid. Prevent entry into waterways, sewers, basements or confined areas. DO NOT direct water at spill or source leak. Use water spray to reduce vapors or divert vapor cloud drift. Isolate area until gas has dispersed. FIRST AID Skin or eye contact with gaseous or liquid ammonia and/or the ingestion of gaseous ammonia into the respiratory system creates a very serious condition. First Aid and medical treatment at the scene should only be performed by qualified EMS personnel. Move victim to fresh air. Apply artificial respiration if victim is not breathing. Do not use mouth-to-mouth method if victim has inhaled or ingested ammonia gas. Use a pocket mask equipped with a one-way valve. Administer oxygen if breathing is difficult. Remove contaminated shoes and clothing. In case of contact with liquefied ammonia, thaw frosted parts with lukewarm water. Remember - THE EFFECTS OF CONTACT OR INHALATION MAY BE DELAYED. References used: DOT North American Emergency Response Guidebook - 2004 OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 FEMA NFA-ICS-SM, The Incident Command System Transportation Skills Program, Empties-Leakers and Emergency Responses Fundamentals of Chemistry, Brady/Holum Anhydrous ammonia is on the homeland security “Chemical of interest list” for a reason. Foreign Terrorists want to scare, injure and kill innocent American people. For that reason alone, in this day and age, anhydrous ammonia should not be stored within a city limit. Chemical Security; CFATS Chemical Facility Security Tip Line: 877-394-4347 (877-FYI 4 DHS) You may report concerns on voicemail anonymously. If you want a return call, leave your name and number. Calls to this tip line involve the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) regulation at your facility or another facility. Report a Violation; EPA needs your help. Please let us know about potentially harmful environmental activities in your community or workplace. If you do not have access to the Internet, you can call EPA’s hotline at (800) 424-9346. Section 112(r)(7) of the CAA directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue regulations requiring facilities with large quantities of very hazardous chemicals to prepare and implement programs to prevent the accidental release of those chemicals and to mitigate the consequences of any releases that do occur. EPA issued that rule, “Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions” on June 20, 1996. The rule is codified at part 68 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). If you handle, manufacture, use, or store any of the toxic or flammable substances listed in 40 CFR 68.130 above the specified threshold quantities in a process, you are required to develop and implement a risk management program under part 68 of 40 CFR. The rule applies to a wide variety of facilities that handle, manufacture, store, or use toxic substances, including chlorine and ammonia. For processes subject to Program 2 or Program 3, both worst-case release scenarios and alternative release scenarios are required. For example, worst-case release scenarios for storage tanks at opposite ends of your facility may potentially reach different areas where people could be affected. In that case, you will have to conduct analyses of and report on both releases. On June 6, 2005, at the Cenex Co-op yard in Morris, Minn an explosion released approximately 841 gallons of anhydrous ammonia to the atmosphere. Prior to the incident, an employee filled the subject nurse tank to 85 percent capacity with anhydrous ammonia at approximately 3:30 p.m. After the tank was filled, it remained at the filling-station dock and the employee vacated the yard. The explosion was reported to emergency response teams at approximately 6 p.m. They discovered a ruptured 1,000-gallon anhydrous ammonia nurse tank that was in two pieces. A portion of the rear head was lying near the filling dock and the remainder of the tank was approximately 100 yards away. Upon explosion, the vessel ricocheted off the earth, skipped across the yard and slammed into a parked utility tractor and an automobile before coming to rest. Other pressurized anhydrous ammonia tanks were in the yard. The ruptured vessel missed these tanks by 25 yards. A local farmer who lives three-tenths of a mile to the west was taken to the hospital for ammonia inhalation treatment. Ammonia leak in southern Dakota County sends dozens to hospitals. Updated: December 8, 2010 - 10:10 PM Evacuation included 1,000 people; more than 50 treated at hospitals for symptoms. Both company and emergency responders acted quickly over the next few hours after the leak on the northern edge of town sent about 55 people, many of them children from a school three blocks away, to local hospitals complaining of headaches, coughing and other symptoms related to exposure to the farm fertilizer, medical officials said. The incident, which led Dakota County deputies to close down roads into the city of about 500, began just before 8 a.m. Thats when a truck driver for Western Co-Op Transport Association out of Montevideo started unloading about 8,000 gallons of anhydrous ammonia from his truck into a larger storage tank at River Country Cooperative, according to officials with both companies. An estimated 100 to 200 gallons escaped, but the leak was quickly contained, said Bob Rahman, River Country plant manager. ndhealth.gov/epr/resources/anhydrous.htm
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 12:31:47 +0000
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