Ammonia Fact Sheet
April 2013
While
we cannot comment on the specifics regarding the Texas fertilizer plant
accident yesterday, we extend our thoughts and prayers to all of the people who
have been impacted by this tragic event.
Below,
please find information on ammonia for your use as you report on the May 17
accident.
About Fertilizer
· Nitrogen is an essential nutrient – plants cannot grow
and people can’t live without it.
· Nitrogen fertilizer is natural, in fact it contains
the same element as the air we breathe.
· Nitrogen fertilizer is produced in a chemical process
that uses natural gas to capture nitrogen from the atmosphere.
· Ammonia is the basic building block for all nitrogen
fertilizers.
· Fertilizer retailers
· Ammonia is a
colorless, pungent smelling gas lighter than air. At minus 28 degrees
ammonia becomes a liquid. Anhydrous ammonia is classified as a
non-flammable gas but will burn with certain vapor concentration limits and
with strong ignition. Fire hazard increases in the presence of oil or
other combustible materials.
o
According the
American National Standards Institute’s (ANSI) Standard for Storage and
Handling of Anhydrous Ammonia, ammonia is extremely hard to ignite and is a
relatively stable compound. The conditions favorable for ignition are seldom
encountered during normal operations due to the high ignition temperature
required.
o
Most states have
adopted the ANSI Standard.
Regulation and Voluntary Initiatives
Fertilizer is regulated at both the federal and state
levels. Federal agencies of jurisdiction
include the Department of Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection
Agency, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and the Department of
Transportation. At the state level,
fertilizers are regulated by state department of agriculture’s fertilizer
control official.
· Facilities storing anhydrous ammonia in quantities of
10,000 lbs. or more are required to have an Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) approved Clean Air Act Risk Management Program plan to address accidental
releases of ammonia. Each facility covered under the act is required to
conduct an offsite consequence analysis for a worst-case accident, a hazard
assessment and an accident prevention program.
· The Chemical Safety Board has been deployed to the
accident scene. TFI has worked closely with the CSB and will serve as a
resource should we be asked to do so.
· The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) is an active member of
the Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response program
(TRANSCAER). Through this initiative, emergency response personnel in 27 states
have received training on responding to accidents involving anhydrous ammonia.
Contact: Kathy
Mathers
Vice President of Public Affairs
The Fertilizer Institute
202-515-2703 (office)
202-251-2273 (cell)
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