Ammonia is the most widely used refrigerant in the industrial refrigeration sector, despite safety concerns. The big question, therefore, is: Can ammonia be used in densely populated areas?

Addressing the concern, Hassan Younes, Technical Director of Griffin Consultants, said that ammonia as a refrigerant is usually not used in densely populated areas, mainly because of its high toxicity and other safety issues. He elaborated, “Definitely it is energy efficient and has a zero global-warming potential, but suppliers will never sell ammonia-based refrigerants for the residential sector because of these safety issues.”

Ali Sleiman, Director of The Three Factors Company (EN3), said: “There are limitations by law, and standards on how far and how close ammonia should be to populated areas. And it also depends on the size of the population. It is mainly because of the health risk that it is not really used in densely populated areas.”