[red robot]

hello

just shovelled a large pile of conifer woodchippings which had been standing for a week or so and once below the surface, the warm pile started to give off thick clouds of whitish gas. i've since felt quesy. is it toxic? i read that such gas can be ammonia / nitrogen etc but need some hard facts.

quesy feeling could always be down to something else. any help appreciated

sincerely
totally ignorant member of public

[Smrt guy]

Most gases are colorless, including ammonia.  You should be able to tell ammonia by the smell.  Most likely what you saw was water condensation.  Most likely you just need fresh air and to stop convincing yourself that there is a problem.  However, if you continue feeling ill better safe than sorry; seek medical attention.  I doubt that there is any real problem though.

[red robot]

thanks for the reply. yes, occurred to me that it was probably steam but the smell made me gag - caught right at the back of my throat. not much use saying "You should be able to tell ammonia by the smell" if you don't know what it smells like...

[Smrt guy]

ammonia is a common cleaning agent.  i'm sure you can find some if you want to know for sure if that is what you smelled