4 The dangers of ammonia for health in the long term

Whether we realize it or not, we may inhale ammonia gas during activities in the home or office. Ammonia is a chemical compound found in many household cleaning products. Indeed, what is the danger? Let's look at the full explanation in the following review.

What is ammonia gas?

Ammonia or ammonia is a chemical gas with the formula NH3. The characteristics of ammonia gas are clear, colorless, but give off a pungent odor.

Ammonia that is naturally present in the surrounding environment is produced from the remaining organic matter in the soil such as plants, carcasses, and animal waste which are broken down by bacteria.

The human body also produces its own "portion" of natural ammonia every time it digests food. When the digestive system breaks down food protein, ammonia is formed which will be further broken down into urea.

Urea is the largest organic component in urine. That is one of the reasons why ammonia has a characteristic smell that is quite pungent.

Apart from the pure form in the form of a gas, sometimes you can also find ammonia product preparations in solid or liquid form, depending on the purpose for which it is used.

What are some household products that contain ammonia?

It turns out that various household products that you may use on a daily basis also release ammonia gas into the surrounding air. Anything?

1. Fertilizer

Ammonia used in fertilizer is a liquid preparation. When injected into the soil, liquid ammonia will evaporate into gas. About 80-90% of ammonia gas released into the air comes from agricultural fertilizers.

Ammonia helps increase soil pH levels to kill harmful microorganisms, while increasing the levels of essential nutrients in the soil for plants to absorb.

2. Household cleaning products

Ammonia is a very effective cleaning agent. These chemical compounds are effective at removing dirt or stains from animal fats or vegetable oils, such as cooking oil stains.

That's why household cleaning products such as glass cleaning soap, bathtub cleaner, floor mop soap, and toilet cleaning solutions are made with ammonia.

Not infrequently, ammonia is also used as a solution to prevent scratches on glass and car bodies (polish wax)

3. Other products

Apart from fertilizers and cleaning products, ammonia is also found in many other commercial products. Ammonia is used in the manufacturing process of plastics, textile fabrics and hair dyes.

In fact, these chemical compounds are often used as stabilizers, neutralizers, and nitrogen sources in water treatment processes, waste, rubber production, paper, medicine, to the food industry.

The amount of ammonia compound added to industrial products is usually quite high in concentration. Usually it can reach about 25% so it is considered to be corrosive (cause of damage).

What is the danger of ammonia gas?

The health risks of ammonia are especially dangerous if we are exposed to excessive amounts. Either a lot at once or a little at a time but continuously.

Ammonia usually reacts immediately if there is exposure to the skin, eyes, oral cavity, respiratory tract and digestive tract which has a moist (mucus) lining.

1. On the airway (inhalation)

Most people can easily be exposed to high doses of ammonia because the gas is lighter in weight than normal air in the atmosphere. This allows the gas to quickly evaporate and be inhaled into the body.

Inhaling low concentrations of ammonia can irritate the airway, causing coughing.

However, in high concentrations, ammonia gas has the risk of causing direct burns to the nasal passages, throat and respiratory tract. This can cause airway damage in the form of bronchiolar and alveolar edema, resulting in severe shortness of breath to respiratory failure.

2. On skin and eye contact (touch)

Meanwhile, exposure to low doses of ammonia in gaseous or liquid form directly to the eyes and skin can cause irritation (red eyes or skin rash) /

In high doses, exposure to liquid ammonia to the skin can cause permanent injury and serious burns. Contact with liquid ammonia can also cause frostbite (frostbite) on the skin.

When exposed to or splashed into the eyes, high doses of ammonia can cause visual disturbances to permanent vision damage (blindness).

3. In the digestive system (swallowed)

Nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain are common symptoms after ingesting ammonia. Either on purpose or not.

In rare cases, accidentally ingesting 5-10% ammonia concentrate causes severe burns of the oral cavity, throat, esophagus, and stomach.

4. Poisoning

Launching from the journal Metabolic Brain Disease, professor Erlend Nagelhus and a research team from the Institute for Basic Medical Sciences reported that excessive ammonia levels in the body, especially in the brain, can interfere with the body's metabolism. This is particularly bad for the function of brain cells and nerves.

Ingesting large amounts of ammonia causes systemic poisoning with typical symptoms of convulsions, and may even lead to coma.

Be careful using ammonia if you have liver disease

Health problems due to ammonia exposure are especially at higher risk for people who have liver disorders or diseases.

Normally, a healthy liver or liver can smoothly convert ammonia to urea. Urea is a waste product which will be excreted together with urine.

However, a liver that is not functioning properly will find it difficult to flush toxins from the body so that in the end they accumulate in the blood.

On the other hand, the buildup of ammonia in the body can also be affected by liver disease or kidney disease that you already have. This also has the same opportunity to cause various health hazards.

Tips for safe using products containing ammonia

In order to avoid the risk of harm from ammonia gas, you can apply several methods such as:

• Read and follow all instructions on the packaging label when using cleaning products.
• Use gloves, masks, closed clothing, protective goggles when using these products to prevent irritation and poisoning.
• Open windows and doors to ensure proper air circulation when cleaning furniture or your home.
• Avoid mixing ammonia with chlorine bleach as it can produce a toxic gas called chloramine.
• Place household cleaning products in a safe place out of reach of children.