What is yellow-phosphorus?
A train filled with this substance exploded in Ukraine, Easter Europe and a huge chemical cloud is looming over Eastern and CentraL Europe now...just curious how it will affect those unfortunate enough to breathe and drink and eat in those areas.
Answer:
This fact sheet answers the most frequently asked health questions about white phosphorus. For more information, you may call the ATSDR Information Center at 1-888-422-8737. This fact sheet is one in a series of summaries about hazardous substances and their health effects. This information is important because this substance may harm you. The effects of exposure to any hazardous substance depend on the dose, the duration, how you are exposed, personal traits and habits, and whether other chemicals are present.
------------------------------...
HIGHLIGHTS: White phosphorus is a waxy solid which burns easily and is used in chemical manufacturing and smoke munitions. Exposure to white phosphorus may cause burns and irritation, liver, kidney, heart, lung, or bone damage, and death. White phosphorus has been found in at least 77 of the 1,416 National Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
What is white phosphorus?
White phosphorus is a colorless, white, or yellow waxy solid with a garlic-like odor. It does not occur naturally, but is manufactured from phosphate rocks.
White phosphorus reacts rapidly with oxygen, easily catching fire at temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above room temperature.
White phosphorus is used by the military in various types of ammunition, and to produce smoke for concealing troop movements and identifying targets.
It is also used by industry to produce phosphoric acid and other chemicals for use in fertilizers, food additives, and cleaning compounds. Small amounts of white phosphorus were used in the past in pesticides and fireworks.
back to top
------------------------------...
What happens to white phosphorus when it enters the environment?
White phosphorus can enter the environment when it is made, used in manufacturing or by the military, or accidentally spilled during transport and storage.
It can be found in the water and bottom sediment of rivers and lakes near facilities that make or use it.
In the air, white phosphorus reacts rapidly with oxygen to produce relatively harmless chemicals within minutes.
In water, white phosphorus reacts with oxygen within hours or days.
In water with low oxygen, white phosphorus may degrade to a highly toxic compound called phosphine, which eventually evaporates to the air and is changed to less harmful chemicals.
White phosphorus can build up slightly in the bodies of fish that live in contaminated lakes or streams.
In soil, white phosphorus may stick to particles and be changed within a few days to less harmful compounds.
In deep soil or sediments with little oxygen, white phosphorus may remain unchanged for many years.
back to top
------------------------------...
How might I be exposed to white phosphorus?
Breathing contaminated air near a facility that is using white phosphorus.
Eating contaminated fish or game birds from sites containing white phosphorus.
Drinking or swimming in water that has been contaminated with white phosphorus.
Touching soil contaminated with white phosphorus.
If you work in industries that use or manufacture white phosphorus or munitions containing white phosphorus.
back to top
------------------------------...
How can white phosphorus affect my health?
Little information is available about the health effects that may be caused by white phosphorus. Most of what is known about the effects of breathing white phosphorus is from studies of workers. Most of what is known about the effects of eating white phosphorus is from reports of people eating rat poison or fireworks that contained it.
Breathing white phosphorus for short periods may cause coughing and irritation of the throat and lungs. Breathing white phosphorus for long periods may cause a condition known as "phossy jaw" which involves poor wound healing of the mouth and breakdown of the jaw bone.
Eating or drinking small amounts of white phosphorus may cause liver, heart, or kidney damage, vomiting, stomach cramps, drowsiness, or death. We do not know what the effects are from eating or drinking very small amounts of white phosphorus-containing substances over long periods of time. Skin contact with burning white phosphorus may burn skin or cause liver, heart, and kidney damage.
We do not know whether or not white phosphorus can affect the ability to have children or cause birth defects in people.
back to top
------------------------------...
How likely is white phosphorus to cause cancer?
The EPA has determined that white phosphorus is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity in humans. There are no studies available in people or animals that suggest white phosphorus causes cancer.
back to top
------------------------------...
Is there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to white phosphorus?
There is no medical test that shows if you have been exposed to white phosphorus. However, the above health effects may lead your doctor to suspect that you have been exposed if you have a history of exposure.
back to top
------------------------------...
Has the federal government made recommendations to protect human health?
The EPA has listed white phosphorus as a Hazardous Air Pollutant. The EPA requires that spills or accidental releases into the environment of 1 pound or more of white phosphorus be reported to the EPA.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) have all set the inhalation exposure limit for white phosphorus in the workplace during an 8-hour workday at 0.1 milligram of white phosphorus per cubic meter of air (0.1 mg/m³).
Yellow phosphorous is just impure (contaminated with sulfur). Phosphorous causes a lot of problems. It burns in air, and can cause asphyxiation. The smoke carries away small particles of phosphorous, which can be inhaled. Once in your lungs it reacts with moisture to form a strong acid. It chemically burns your lungs. The power also get on your skin and reacts with your sweat, again give you chemical burns.
Environmentally it is a bad actor too, burning plants and animals. It can also lower the pH of streams and lakes killing everything there until acid can be neutralized.
Ultimately it turns into a nice fertilizer, which might be considered a good thing. Except in water it over stimulates algae. And then the algae choke out all aquatic life.
At least this time the Ukrainians scorched their own earth, instead of Belarus like they did with Chernobyl.
yellow phosphorous is a soft waxy solid and exist as P4 molecule. It is also called white phosphorous.
Its ignition temperatire is very low and catches fire in air.
It is highly toxic to human as it causes a disease called PHOSSY JAW which leads to decay of jaw bones.
It is not soluble in water.
But may react with some gases present in the air to form other compound.
You know that yellow phosphorus is kept under water as it catches fire in the air.
The above information is all good, except for the first answer.
Elemental phosphorus comes in many forms: white, red, and black. They have different properties and are more or less reactive.
The "white" phosphorus can also be called "yellow" when it contains amounts of red phosphorus. In fact, white phosphorus turns slowly to red phosphorus when heated or exposed to light.
The solid or liquid white phosphorus is fairly kept safe under water but will burn to P2O5 if exposed to oxygen. The red phosphorus can be manipulated and even swallowed (I would not try though!). It is quite stable. The black phosphorus is very inert.
When white (or yellow phosphorus) burns to P2O5 it creates a smoke screen. The military smoke screens are from WP. P2O5 is readily hydrated to phosphoric acid. The smoke cloud will be washed down if it rains.
Phosphoric acid is used extensively in the food industry. Pretty much as soon as this phosphoric acid will hit the ground it will most likely be neutralized by all the salts that are in the soil. Those phosphates will boost the local vegetation growth. That however could not be good for lakes since the extra growth of algae could result in less oxygen for the marine life.
The cloud will dissipate and get neutralized fairly fast. I would not worry too much about it. I think radioactive clouds (and some other highly toxic chemicals like chlorine) are far more dangerous.
The answers post by the user, for information only, FunQA.com does not guarantee the right.
More Questions and Answers: