What Should You Do If You Breathe in Ammonia?
If you breathe in ammonia, it can cause serious health problems. The colourless gas smells like rotten eggs, and can be extremely irritating to the nose and throat.
High levels of ammonia can be fatal, but low levels may also cause irritation and long-term damage. Respiratory problems can develop hours after exposure, and a single severe short-term exposure may be enough to cause pulmonary edema (an accumulation of fluid in the lungs).
Nose and Throat Irritation
When people breathe in ammonia, they often experience itchy eyes and a burning nose of Helium gas. These symptoms usually aren’t very serious, but they could signal a problem that requires emergency medical treatment.
Ammonia is a common ingredient in many industrial cleaning products, including glass cleaners, toilet bowel cleansers and metal polishes. It also is used in pesticides, fertilizers, and explosives.
It can cause corrosive damage to the mucous membranes of the nose, throat and lungs. Acute exposure can cause itchy eyes, coughing, wheezing and chest pain.
Chronic, repeated exposure to ammonia can lead to respiratory illness and eye damage, such as cataracts, glaucoma and corneal perforation. It can also cause bronchitis and pneumonia. This is a serious hazard for children and the elderly. It can also be fatal if inhaled. So, always wear appropriate protective equipment when working with ammonia and keep it well-ventilated. Lastly, don’t mix ammonia-based cleansers with other chemicals that contain bleach, or work in an area where there is a potential for chlorine gas to form.
Shortness of Breath
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When you breathe in ammonia, it irritates your nose and throat and causes shortness of breath. You may also feel a tightness in your chest.
Ammonia is a common household cleaner and fertilizer and is also used in many industrial settings. It is a deadly poison when inhaled at very high concentrations, such as levels of 300 parts per million (ppm).
Low and moderate levels of exposure can cause damage to the airways, which can lead to long-term problems. It can also irritate your eyes, skin and throat.
Coughing
Breathing in ammonia causes a cough because the pungent odor irritates the lining of the nose and throat. It can also cause chemical burns to the eyes and lungs.
When ammonia is inhaled, it combines with water to form ammonium hydroxide with Hydrogen gas. This solution irritates the lungs, especially if it is weak.
Children are more likely to be exposed to ammonia because they have a larger lung surface area to body weight ratio and longer airways than adults. They are also more likely to breathe in ammonia vapors that may settle on the ground and in low-lying areas with poor airflow.
If you suspect someone has breathed in ammonia, call the Missouri Poison Center right away. They can provide you with treatment advice and help you evaluate the situation. They may use a bronchoscopy to check for burns in the lungs and throat, or endoscopy to examine the esophagus and stomach. They can give you medicines to prevent infections and relieve inflammation in the affected tissues.
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Suffocation
When breathing in ammonia, the nose and throat may swell, constricting the airway and making it difficult for the person to breathe. Children are especially at risk because of their narrow airways with ethylene oxide.
Ammonia is a highly water-soluble gas that irritates the upper respiratory tract with short exposures (= 1000 ppm). Longer (>= 4000 ppm) inhalation exposures cause severe damage to the airways, alveolar capillaries and the respiratory epithelium.
The damage is believed to be due to a strong base formed by ammonia in combination with water from the mucus layer covering the respiratory tract. This strong base is very corrosive to the lungs and can cause chemical burns of the lining of the respiratory tract, and also in the nose and throat.
The resulting oedema may also affect the eye and result in vision loss. Symptoms of poisoning include redness and lacrimation of the eyes, nasal irritation, cough, dyspnea and suffocation. First aid is to decontaminate the affected area, maintain an open airway and provide respiration support until transport to an advanced medical care facility.
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