This document summarizes the available information on ammonia as it relates to its effects on man and his environment. Ammonia is a ubiquitous substance and is known widely as a household cleaning agent and as a fertilizer. It plays an important role in the nitrogen cycle--in the life processes and in the death processes. It is both a 'friendly' molecule and a hazardous one. This report has the objective of presenting a broad coverage of the available knowledge on ammonia and discusses its physical and chemical properties; the practical methods of measuring it; and the effects of its presence in the environment on man, animals, plants, materials, and the ecology of the environment. The information presented is supported by references to the scientific literature whenever possible, or is based on a consensus of the members of the Subcommittee on Ammonia.

Includes bibliographical references.