We've used it a long time here...since the late '60s in the NH3 form. No injuries yet. It's dangerous, but certainly not the most dangerous thing on our farm. NH3 is pretty popular in this area & I can think of only a couple guys that I know that have been burned over the years. No deaths in my knowledge base.

Do you own or handle a gun? as in firearm? If so, you probably know & tell everyone to treat it as if it's loaded. When we had livestock, you learned to never take your eye off certain animals...lots of livestock injuries around here back "in the day..". So, with NH3, always treat it as if it's getting ready to pop off on you. Know your wind...know where the wind is coming from so you can exit the area INto the wind, or away from the NH3 if necessary. Open valves slowly for the first few turns & be ready to turn them off at the first hint of a hiss. That vapor cloud you see can be bad, but the REAL bad is the liquid. DO NOT TOUCH THE LIQUID....EVER. Loosen quick couplers slowly & jiggle them to make sure the seal is really broken & not just waiting to pop off at you. If you're working on hoses, keep in mind that NH3 will "sit" in the low part of the hose & come flying out as you pull the hose off the machine or whatever you're working on.

Know about water. Water is needed to stop NH3 burns. Know where the water is.

Again, I'm not going to tell you that NH3 is super safe for you. I don't want you to get complacent. I can name more than a few neighbors that have been killed in tractor roll-overs mowing road ditches. This is something needed for beautification only and they lost their life. I don't know of any NH3 deaths....in this area. Use it wisely & you'll be fine. Open this link to an ammonia safety guide from the Illinois Fertilizer & Chem Association. Note that many of the photos demonstrate what happens with junk equipment. If you're renting stuff, don't be afraid to refuse use of junk looking equipment. If it looks like junk, it probably is. Wait for a better tank or bar or whatever.

IFCA brochure:

http://www.ifca.com/media/files/657_1.pdf

Let me also add that most farm deaths in recent years now are due to tractor roll-overs in road ditches (mowing) & suffocation in grain bins. Probably 90% of the readers on NAT deal with both of those situations in their daily farm lives & don't give it much of a danger consideration. The proof is sadly in the numbers. Again, I don't mean to lessen the danger of NH3....or the danger of using pvc for air lines, etc. There are lots of things waiting to get you.