EFFECTS OF SHORT-TERM (LESS THAN 8-HOURS) EXPOSURE:
White phosphorus burns in air
and causes severe burns upon contact with skin or eyes. White phosphorus smoke will also cause eye and respiratory tract irritation. Other initial adverse health effects are primarily due to gastrointestinal irritation.
Is white phosphorus toxic to humans?
White phosphorus is used in the manufacture of munitions, pyrotechnics, explosives, smoke bombs, in artificial fertilizers, and rodenticides.
White phosphorus is extremely toxic to humans
, while other forms of phosphorus are much less toxic.
Can white phosphorus kill you?
Phosphorus burns carry an
increased risk of mortality
due to the absorption of phosphorus into the body through the burned area with prolonged contact, which can result in liver, heart and kidney damage, and in some cases multiple organ failure.
Can white phosphorus be used in war?
White phosphorus munitions are per se a lawful weapon that
can be used against the enemy consistent with the normal laws of targeting
. However, white phosphorus munitions, like any lawful weapon, can be used in numerous unlawful manners, such as to specifically target civilians or launch attacks indiscriminately.
Is the use of white phosphorus illegal?
The use of white phosphorus
is not banned under international convention when
it is used as an obscurant – to make a smokescreen or to illuminate a target (white phosphorus glows green when exposed to oxygen). To use it for incendiary weapons in civilian areas is banned under the Geneva convention.
What neutralizes white phosphorus?
Copper sulfate
has been found to be an effective in vitro neutralizer of white phosphorus and has been traditionally used to treat burns. Copper sulfate reacts with phosphorus to form cupric phosphate, which is black and assists in visualizing phosphorus.
Is white phosphorus worse than napalm?
Napalm is the most notorious incendiary substance, but it is only one of more than 180. The harm caused by white phosphorus munitions, used in more recent conflicts, exemplifies these weapons’ humanitarian problems. … White phosphorus munitions
are not banned
.
Is napalm banned?
The United Nations banned napalm usage against civilian targets in 1980
, but this has not stopped its use in many conflicts around the world. Although the use of traditional napalm has generally ceased, modern variants are deployed, allowing some countries to assert that they do not use “napalm.”
Does America still use white phosphorus?
The U.S. military has admitted using
white phosphorus in the 2004 battle for Fallujah in Iraq
, and in Afghanistan in 2009. Israel used it in the 2008 Gaza war, but said in 2013 that it would stop.
Does white phosphorus burn underwater?
White phosphorus is highly reactive, and spontaneously ignites at about 30°C in moist air. …
It is usually stored under water
, to prevent exposure to the air.
What white phosphorus does to the human body?
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 (NPL) sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Does white phosphorus glow in the dark?
White or yellow phosphorus
glows in the dark due to its slow combustion in air
. its energy of combustion is released as light. this property is known as phosphorescence.
How do you neutralize phosphorus?
The application of
aluminum salts (alum)
has been used for over 30 years to remove phosphorus from the water column and to control its release from the sediment. This method of phosphorus inactivation can actually reverse the effects of nutrient loading on ponds and lakes.
Has Israel used white phosphorus?
During the offensive, Israel used white phosphorus rounds
in densely populated areas
, the UN and Human Rights Watch said. … As a weapon, white phosphorus is used to mark enemy targets and to produce smoke for concealing troop movements. It can also be used as an incendiary device against enemy positions.
Does napalm burn underwater?
Napalm is basically thick oil or jelly mixed with fuel (petrol, gasoline). … Versions of Napalm B
containing white phosphorus will even burn underwater
(if there is trapped oxygen in folds of cloth etc.) so jumping into rivers and lakes won’t help those unfortunate souls attacked with this vile weapon.
Is napalm still used today?
Since its development, napalm has been used by many countries’ militaries, including that of the United States, Angola, Nigeria, Brazil, Egypt], Israel, Argentina, Serbia, Turkey and possibly others. Today,
America’s sole incendiary bomb is the MK-77
, or Mark 77 bomb.
