At high levels in air, it can irritate skin, eyes and throat, cause coughing and burn lungs and bronchial passages. In extreme cases, it can cause death. People with asthma may be more sensitive to breathing it than others, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
The reporting rule, proposed by the EPA, is one of dozens of regulations that are pending. Activists contend that the Bush administration is rushing through several "midnight regulations" affecting the environment before President-elect Barack Obama takes office.
If the rules take effect before Obama's inauguration Jan. 20, they can't be blocked by the incoming Democratic administration, and changing or repealing them could take years.
One such last-minute rule change - issued yesterday after getting final approval - eliminates a requirement for federal agencies to consult with independent scientists before approving projects or activities that might harm endangered species of plants and animals.
The poultry industry petitioned the EPA to exempt it from federal "right to know" laws requiring it to report ammonia and other emissions.
The EPA responded last December with a proposal to exempt all livestock operations, including dairy, hog and cattle farms. The rule was sent to OMB on Oct. 24 for final review and approval.
EPA spokesman Dave Ryan said yesterday that the exemption is still under review, and he did not know when or whether it would be cleared for adoption. If published in the Federal Register by next Friday, it would take effect in 30 days, just before Bush leaves office.
"It's a waste of everyone's time, a diversion of valuable resources from potentially life-threatening problems," Richard Lobb of the National Chicken Council said of the reporting requirement.
Farms are not being required to comply with the law, he said, but if they were, all that release 100 or more pounds a day of a hazardous substance would have to report.
The reports are meant to help emergency responders decide whether to dispatch crews to clean up spills and evacuate or treat people for exposure to hazardous substances.
"The typical farmer on the Eastern Shore does not know how much ammonia is being emitted from his house," Lobb said. "To expect him to report and call the fire department is not realistic."
Environmentalists counter that the reporting requirements are not onerous - annual estimates would be acceptable - and that ammonia releases from poultry farms are in need of closer scrutiny.
