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- risks of exposure is greatest during the first 3 weeks after silo filling
- accidental death and serious lung injuries from exposure to NO2 and CO2 usually occur in top-loading silos (where the confined head space is life threatening for those who enter unprotected)
- low level exposures may not result in immediate pain, but can result in death hours or days later due to pneumonia
- when produced in high quantities NO2 can flow down silo chutes and settle in feed rooms - potentially killing animals and humans
- the following weather conditions and cultural practices may increase the nitrate content of living plant material and set the stage for the production of deadly NO2 once placed in the silo:
- harvesting too soon after a lush rain fall
- storing plants that have been exposed to excessive application of nitrogenous fertilizers
(like manure)
- storing corn with leaf and root damage
- allowing certain high nitrate weed species to enter the silo with plant materials
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Understanding the