• This fact sheet answers the most frequently asked health questions (FAQs) about white phosphorus. (cdc.gov)
  • White phosphorus is a waxy solid which burns easily and is used in chemical manufacturing and smoke munitions. (cdc.gov)
  • White phosphorus has been found in at least 77 of the 1,416 National Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (cdc.gov)
  • What is white phosphorus? (cdc.gov)
  • White phosphorus is a colorless, white, or yellow waxy solid with a garlic-like odor. (cdc.gov)
  • White phosphorus reacts rapidly with oxygen, easily catching fire at temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above room temperature. (cdc.gov)
  • White phosphorus is used by the military in various types of ammunition, and to produce smoke for concealing troop movements and identifying targets. (cdc.gov)
  • Small amounts of white phosphorus were used in the past in pesticides and fireworks. (cdc.gov)
  • What happens to white phosphorus when it enters the environment? (cdc.gov)
  • White phosphorus can enter the environment when it is made, used in manufacturing or by the military, or accidentally spilled during transport and storage. (cdc.gov)
  • In the air, white phosphorus reacts rapidly with oxygen to produce relatively harmless chemicals within minutes. (cdc.gov)
  • In water, white phosphorus reacts with oxygen within hours or days. (cdc.gov)
  • 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. (cdc.gov)
  • White phosphorus can build up slightly in the bodies of fish that live in contaminated lakes or streams. (cdc.gov)
  • In soil, white phosphorus may stick to particles and be changed within a few days to less harmful compounds. (cdc.gov)
  • In deep soil or sediments with little oxygen, white phosphorus may remain unchanged for many years. (cdc.gov)
  • How might I be exposed to white phosphorus? (cdc.gov)
  • Breathing contaminated air near a facility that is using white phosphorus. (cdc.gov)
  • Eating contaminated fish or game birds from sites containing white phosphorus. (cdc.gov)
  • Drinking or swimming in water that has been contaminated with white phosphorus. (cdc.gov)
  • Touching soil contaminated with white phosphorus. (cdc.gov)
  • If you work in industries that use or manufacture white phosphorus or munitions containing white phosphorus. (cdc.gov)
  • How can white phosphorus affect my health? (cdc.gov)
  • Little information is available about the health effects that may be caused by white phosphorus. (cdc.gov)
  • Most of what is known about the effects of breathing white phosphorus is from studies of workers. (cdc.gov)
  • 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. (cdc.gov)
  • Breathing white phosphorus for short periods may cause coughing and irritation of the throat and lungs. (cdc.gov)
  • 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. (cdc.gov)
  • 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. (cdc.gov)
  • Skin contact with burning white phosphorus may burn skin or cause liver, heart, and kidney damage. (cdc.gov)
  • We do not know whether or not white phosphorus can affect the ability to have children or cause birth defects in people. (cdc.gov)
  • How likely is white phosphorus to cause cancer? (cdc.gov)
  • The EPA has determined that white phosphorus is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity in humans. (cdc.gov)
  • There are no studies available in people or animals that suggest white phosphorus causes cancer. (cdc.gov)
  • Is there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to white phosphorus? (cdc.gov)
  • Pronounced hwt fs'fr-s) phosphine, which eventually evaporates to the White phosphorus is a colorless, white, or yellow air and is changed to less harmful chemicals. (cdc.gov)
  • White phosphorus can build up slightly in naturally, but is manufactured from phosphate rocks. (cdc.gov)
  • White phosphorus reacts rapidly with oxygen, easily lakes or streams. (cdc.gov)
  • In soil, white phosphorus may stick to room temperature. (cdc.gov)
  • White phosphorus is used by the military in various to less harmful compounds. (cdc.gov)
  • white phosphorus may remain unchanged for many years. (cdc.gov)
  • White phosphorus can enter the environment when from sites containing white phosphorus. (cdc.gov)
  • been contaminated with white phosphorus. (cdc.gov)
  • munitions containing white phosphorus. (cdc.gov)
  • that may be caused by white phosphorus. (cdc.gov)
  • The EPA has listed white phosphorus as a Hazardous is from studies of workers. (cdc.gov)
  • The EPA requires that spills or accidental the effects of eating white phosphorus is from reports of releases into the environment of 1 pound or more of people eating rat poison or fireworks that contained it. (cdc.gov)
  • white phosphorus be reported to the EPA. (cdc.gov)
  • the inhala tion exposure limit for white phosphorus in the workplace during an 8-hour workday at 0.1 milligram of Eating or drinking small amounts of white phosphorus white phospho rus per cubic meter of air (0.1 mg/m3). (cdc.gov)
  • [ 1 ] Because of its reactivity, white phosphorus has been used as an incendiary agent by the military or as an igniter for munitions. (medscape.com)
  • White phosphorus commonly is found in hand grenades, mortar and artillery rounds, and smoke bombs. (medscape.com)
  • Munitions-quality white phosphorus is generally found as a waxy, yellow, transparent solid. (medscape.com)
  • With a melting point of 44 °C, white phosphorus is insoluble in water and above 30 °C, the particles spontaneously oxidize when in contact with the atmosphere forming phosphorus pentoxide a strong desiccant and dehydrating agent. (medscape.com)
  • Most injuries associated with white phosphorus are the result of accidents due to either human or mechanical error. (medscape.com)
  • White phosphorus can cause significant injury and death, and its use by the military has been highly criticized. (medscape.com)
  • White phosphorus skin exposure results in painful chemical burn injuries. (medscape.com)
  • White phosphorus is highly lipid soluble and, as such, is believed to have rapid dermal penetration once particles are embedded under the skin. (medscape.com)
  • Few studies have investigated the degree of tissue destruction associated with white phosphorus injuries. (medscape.com)
  • Oral ingestion of white phosphorus in humans has been demonstrated to result in pathologic changes to the liver and kidneys. (medscape.com)
  • The ingestion of a small quantity of white phosphorus can cause gastrointestinal complaints such as nausea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting. (medscape.com)
  • Inhalation of white phosphorus smoke is presumed to be the least severe form of exposure, as it has not been shown to cause casualties. (medscape.com)
  • FILE - A shell that appears to be white phosphorus from Israeli artillery explodes over Aita al-Shaab, a Lebanese border village with Israel, south Lebanon, on Oct. 15, 2023. (kron4.com)
  • The human rights group Amnesty International said Tuesday Oct. 31, 2023 that civilians in southern Lebanon were injured earlier this month when Israeli forces hit a border village with shells containing white phosphorus, a controversial incendiary munition. (kron4.com)
  • The organization said it verified three other instances of Israel's military dropping white phosphorus on Lebanese border areas in the past month, but Amnesty said it did not document any harm to civilians in those cases. (kron4.com)
  • Human rights advocates say the use of white phosphorus is illegal under international law when the white-hot chemical substance is fired into populated areas. (kron4.com)
  • The group said it had verified photos that showed white phosphorus shells lined up next to Israeli artillery near the tense Lebanon-Israel border. (kron4.com)
  • This is the first time we've seen white phosphorus used on areas with civilians in such large amounts," Ali Noureddine, a paramedic who was among the responding emergency workers, said. (kron4.com)
  • The Amnesty report is the latest in a series of allegations by human rights groups that Israeli forces have dropped shells containing white phosphorus on densely populated residential areas in Gaza and Lebanon during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. (kron4.com)
  • The rights group said it also verified cases of white phosphorus shelling on the border town of Aita al Shaab and over open land close to the village of al-Mari. (kron4.com)
  • Amnesty and Human Rights Watch have also reported an alleged case of white phosphorus shelling in a populated area of the Gaza Strip during the current Israel-Hamas war but have not verified civilian injuries from it. (kron4.com)
  • Structure of white phosphorus. (citizendium.org)
  • White phosphorus and yellow arsenic both have four atoms arranged in a tetrahedral structure in which each atom is bound to the other three atoms by a single bond. (citizendium.org)
  • The toxicity of white phosphorus led to its discontinued use in matches. (citizendium.org)
  • Its density (2.34 kg/L) is higher than that of white phosphorus. (citizendium.org)
  • White phosphorus (P 4 ) exists as individual molecules made up of four atoms in a tetrahedral arrangement, resulting in very high ring strain and instability. (wikidoc.org)
  • White phosphorus is a yellow, waxy transparent solid. (wikidoc.org)
  • White phosphorus is insoluble in water but soluble in carbon disulfide. (wikidoc.org)
  • Red phosphorus may be formed by heating white phosphorus to 250°C (482°F) or by exposing white phosphorus to sunlight. (wikidoc.org)
  • Red phosphorus does not catch fire in air at temperatures below 240°C, whereas white phosphorus ignites at about 30°C. (wikidoc.org)
  • No it's not forbidden by the CWC if it is used within the context of a military application which does not require or does not intend to use the toxic properties of white phosphorus. (balloon-juice.com)
  • White phosphorus is normally used to produce smoke, to camouflage movement. (balloon-juice.com)
  • If that is the purpose for which the white phosphorus is used, then that is considered under the Convention legitimate use. (balloon-juice.com)
  • If on the other hand the toxic properties of white phosphorus, the caustic properties, are specifically intended to be used as a weapon, that of course is prohibited, because the way the Convention is structured or the way it is in fact applied, any chemicals used against humans or animals that cause harm or death through the toxic properties of the chemical are considered chemical weapons. (balloon-juice.com)
  • Burns frequently are second and third degree because of the rapid ignition and highly lipophilic properties of white phosphorus. (medscape.com)
  • Prebiotic phosphorus chemistry could have been initiated by phosphorus (III) or the first organisms might have oxidized bioavailable phosphorus (III) to (V). Yet, the underlying synthetic routes to these phosphorus-bearing biomolecules along with their precursors are still in their infancy. (nature.com)
  • The regulation of atmospheric oxygen levels (pO 2 ) occurs on million-year timescales and is effected by modulation of sedimentary organic carbon burial and weathering rates 1,2 . (psu.edu)
  • Like all living things, plants require a number of chemical elements in order to flourish, including carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. (sciencedaily.com)
  • Oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and a few other elements from the periodic table make up 99% of our bodies. (discovery.com)
  • Oxygen and hydrogen bond with carbon to form the organic compounds that are the basis for all life on Earth. (discovery.com)
  • Of the six materials, rGO1-rGO4 only differed in the carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) content, whereas rGO5 and rGO6 were characterized by different lateral size and number of layers, respectively, but similar C/O content compared with rGO1. (bvsalud.org)
  • The bulk of phosphorus produced with this method is then converted to phosphoric acid that is used in agriculture for the production of fertilizers, rodenticides, fireworks and doping agent for silicon in the manufacturing of semiconductors. (medscape.com)
  • The odour of combustion of this form has a characteristic garlic smell, and samples are commonly coated with white "(di) phosphorus pentoxide ", which consists of P 4 O 10 tetrahedra with oxygen inserted between the phosphorus atoms and at their vertices. (wikidoc.org)
  • Below is shown a chain of phosphorus atoms which exhibits both the purple and fibrous forms. (wikidoc.org)
  • Includes nitrogen, ammonia, and phosphorus which can reduce oxygen in surface waters, encourage the growth of harmful algal blooms, and contaminate drinking water. (cdc.gov)
  • types of ammunition, and to produce smoke for · In deep soil or sediments with little oxygen, concealing troop movements and identifying targets. (cdc.gov)
  • Both tungsten compounds are formed by reaction of water and oxygen with the acetylene complex PPh 4 [WCl 5 (Ph - C ≡ C - C (Br) = C(Br) -Ph)] in CH 2 Cl 2 solutions, and in the presence of PPh 4 Cl. (degruyter.com)
  • Under anoxic to anaerobic conditions, phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAO) have the ability to take in organic substrate. (aqua-aerobic.com)
  • Areas of low oxygen are known as hypoxic, and usually cannot sustain life, or if they can, have very limited life, as the majority of organisms on earth require significant amounts of oxygen in order to function. (worldatlas.com)
  • Similarly, these blooms stop organisms below them from being able to absorb oxygen, which is essential to almost all aquatic life. (worldatlas.com)
  • But other organisms may be able to tolerate lower levels of oxygen, move up in the water column or even benefit from increased algae growth, which could lead to more invertebrate prey for fish. (scienceblog.com)
  • Proteins are also used as transport molecules, such protein is haemoglobin which transports oxygen in red blood cells all around the body. (bartleby.com)
  • Algal blooms deplete oxygen in lakes, produce toxins, and end up killing aquatic life in the lake. (sciencedaily.com)
  • Plants use these nutrients to grow, but it is when they become so concentrated that oxygen is almost entirely depleted. (worldatlas.com)
  • Unfortunately, the main reason for the increase in nutrients found in these low oxygen areas of the sea is human. (worldatlas.com)
  • The bird droppings are rich in phosphorus and nitrogen, and when it gets into the water, it adds those nutrients to the water. (sciencedaily.com)
  • Specifically, he was looking to see if the feces affected the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients in the water. (sciencedaily.com)
  • We also work with lakes, rivers and Baltic Sea estuaries, with particular focus on the fluxes of bioavailable nutrients, and on the impact of organic matter in river runoff on oxygen consumption in coastal marine ecosystems. (lu.se)
  • The material shall conform to the chemical composition requirements prescribed for copper, phosphorus, and arsenic, as determined by chemical analysis, and to the mechanical property requirements including tensile strength, yield strength, Rockwell hardness, and straightening. (astm.org)
  • Phosphorus and arsenic share many chemical properties. (citizendium.org)
  • Both phosphorus and arsenic have many [[allotrope]]s, but only the white and red forms predominate. (citizendium.org)
  • More recently, phosphine was attributed as the source of the phosphorus signal in comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko 16 . (nature.com)
  • Background: Recent studies have highlighted the increased potency of oxygen analogs of organophosphorus pesticides. (cdc.gov)
  • These pesticides and oxygen analogs have previously been identified in the atmosphere following spray applications in California and Washington states. (cdc.gov)
  • Objectives: In 2011, we used two passive sampling methods to measure organophosphorus pesticides chlorpyrifos, azinphos-methyl, and their oxygen analogs at 14 farm worker and 9 nonfarmworker households in an agricultur al region of central Washington State. (cdc.gov)
  • Our findings further confirm the presence of pesticides and their oxygen analogs in air, and highlight their potential for infiltration of indoor living environments. (cdc.gov)
  • Development of a passive air sampler to measure airborne organophosphorus pesticides and oxygen analogs in an agricultur al community. (cdc.gov)
  • We investigate sampling methodologies using the polyurethane foam passive air sampling device to measure cumulative monthly airborne concentrations of OP pesticides chlorpyrifos, azinphos-methyl, and oxygen analogs. (cdc.gov)
  • When that algae settles to the bottom and decomposes, oxygen is consumed. (scienceblog.com)
  • Dissolved organic phosphorus* is biologically available to bacteria and possibly to algae, but I haven't found references saying it is available to plants. (thekrib.com)
  • Particulate organic phosphorus* isn't available to plants and algae, but is available to animals. (thekrib.com)
  • The algae and cyanobacteria also reduce the levels of oxygen in the water when they decompose, and these lower oxygen levels may kill other plants and animals in the water. (cdc.gov)
  • For sewage treatment these microalgae may be used because these algae absorb heavy metals, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and othernutrients. (cdc.gov)
  • Water quality is measured by several factors such as the concentration of dissolved oxygen, bacteria levels, the amount of salt (or salinity) and the amount of material suspended in the water (turbidity). (un-spider.org)
  • These are directly or indirectly related to relevant water quality parameters (indicator) such as turbidity and suspended matter, phytoplankton and its main pigment chlorophyll, detritus, salinity, total phosphorus (TP), Temperature, pH and dissolved colored organic matter. (un-spider.org)
  • The basic principle of biological phosphorus removal is to expose bacteria to alternating anaerobic and aerobic conditions to promote "luxury uptake" of phosphorus. (aqua-aerobic.com)
  • In order to obtain the energy to incorporate the organic substrate into the microbial cell under anaerobic conditions, the bacteria releases phosphorus into the wastewater. (aqua-aerobic.com)
  • This allows the bacteria to take in phosphorus then needed to fulfill its nutrient needs. (aqua-aerobic.com)
  • The combination of this anaerobic selection and time based operation, leads to great phosphorus uptake, allowing for savings of chemical on processes with low phosphorus removal requirements. (aqua-aerobic.com)
  • For simplicity, biological uptake of phosphorus isn't included in the sketch. (thekrib.com)
  • Phosphorus signifies an essential element in molecular biology, yet given the limited solubility of phosphates on early Earth, alternative sources like meteoritic phosphides have been proposed to incorporate phosphorus into biomolecules under prebiotic terrestrial conditions. (nature.com)
  • Although the molecular formula suggests the name tetraphosphorus hexoxide, the name phosphorus trioxide preceded the knowledge of the compound's molecular structure, and its usage continues today. (toppr.com)
  • Depression of the serum calcium level with an elevation in the serum phosphorus level (reversed calcium-phosphorus ratio) with electrocardiographic changes including prolongation of the QT segment, ST-segment depression, T-wave changes, and bradycardia also have been observed. (medscape.com)
  • Elemental phosphorus can exist in several allotropes , most commonly white, red and black. (wikidoc.org)
  • Elemental phosphorus is then liberated as a vapour and can be collected under phosphoric acid . (wikidoc.org)
  • Passive sampling for indoor and outdoor exposures to chlorpyrifos, azinphos-methyl, and oxygen analogs in a rural agricultur al community. (cdc.gov)
  • In exposure chamber studies, very little oxygen analog was observed on the PUF-PAS, yet substantial amounts chlorpyrifos-oxon and azinphos methyl oxon were measured in outdoor samples. (cdc.gov)
  • This chemical reaction continues until either all the material is consumed or the element is deprived of oxygen. (medscape.com)
  • Phosphorus , ( Template:IPAEng , Template:Lang-el meaning "light", and phoros meaning "bearer"), is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. (wikidoc.org)
  • PUF-PAS is a practical and useful alternative to AAS because it results in little artificial transformation to the oxygen analog during sampling, it provides cumulative exposure estimates, and the measured sampling rates were comparable to rates for other SVOCs. (cdc.gov)
  • Some researchers reported the exposure of dentinal tubules 15,20 and appearance of "laser-modified layer" after laser treatment 20 , but no alteration of calcium, phosphorus or oxygen contents were found 10 . (bvsalud.org)
  • It enters the aquarium from tap water, sometimes from water treatments like pH buffers and as inorganic phosphorus wasted through the gills and kidneys of animals. (thekrib.com)
  • It is converted to particulate inorganic phosphorus by sorption and precipitation. (thekrib.com)
  • It is formed within an aquarium by sorption and precipitation of dissolved inorganic phosphorus. (thekrib.com)
  • The plant is performing very well and easily stays within the discharge requirements of total nitrogen below 8 mg/l and total phosphorus of less than 0.5 mg/l in the winter. (aqua-aerobic.com)
  • In 1865 Hittorf discovered that when phosphorus was recrystallized from molten lead , a red/purple form is obtained. (wikidoc.org)
  • The coupling involves fire as a means to transfer phosphorus, the nutrient that limits global B OC 3,4 and thus global oxygen production rates, from terrestrial to marine environments. (psu.edu)
  • Such limiting factors are a cornerstone of natural ecology, where phosphorus or nitrogen limits plant production in most ecosystems. (sciencedaily.com)
  • It glows greenish in the dark (when exposed to oxygen), is highly flammable and pyrophoric (self-igniting) upon contact with air as well as toxic (causing severe liver damage on ingestion). (wikidoc.org)
  • White (or yellow) phosphorus is the most common and most reactive of the three allotropic forms of phosphorus. (medscape.com)
  • Black phosphorus is made of even larger aggregates and is the least reactive allotrope. (citizendium.org)
  • Black phosphorus has an orthorhombic structure (C mca ) and is the least reactive allotrope, it consists of many six-membered rings which are interlinked. (wikidoc.org)
  • The researchers speculate on whether this small increase in nutrient supply to the sea - in combination with a gradually warming climate - may even have triggered the oxygen depletion. (lu.se)
  • [ 9 ] These changes result in the development of progressive anuria, decreased creatinine clearance, and increased blood phosphorus levels. (medscape.com)
  • The most important commercial use of phosphorus-based chemicals is the production of fertilisers . (wikidoc.org)
  • Kump, LR 1988, ' Terrestrial feedback in atmospheric oxygen regulation by fire and phosphorus ', Nature , vol. 335, no. 6186, pp. 152-154. (psu.edu)
  • for example, conventional wisdom has held that freshwater lakes are primarily phosphorus-limited, while oceans along with terrestrial forests and grasslands were believed to be nitrogen-limited. (sciencedaily.com)
  • The size and number of marine dead zones-areas where the deep water is so low in dissolved oxygen that sea creatures can't survive-have grown explosively in the past half-century. (worldatlas.com)
  • Hypoxia occurs when water has less than two parts per million of dissolved oxygen. (scienceblog.com)
  • This image show interpolated bottom water oxygen concentrations in Lake Erie during September 2005. (scienceblog.com)
  • Plus, hydrogen forms water with oxygen (H2O), making up between 65 and 90% of every cell . (discovery.com)
  • a warmer climate leads to greater productivity in the sea and thus the use of more oxygen from the sediment, while there is less oxygen dissolved in the water. (lu.se)
  • Historical oxygen depletion in Baltic sediment - a consequence of human impact? (lu.se)
  • When the researchers look deeper down into the sediment, it emerges that periods of oxygen depletion have occurred earlier in the Baltic Sea's history. (lu.se)
  • The sediment shows that, over the past 2 000 years, there have been periods with and without oxygen depletion. (lu.se)
  • Two thousand years ago, the oxygen conditions on the bed of the Baltic Sea were good, but a few hundred years later, areas of oxygen depletion appeared, visible as black layers in the sediment samples. (lu.se)
  • In the Baltic Sea, the areas of oxygen depletion have increased so much, that it definitely cannot be attributed to a natural phenomenon. (lu.se)
  • Down in the depths, the dead seabeds are expanding and research reveals that we have never had such large areas of oxygen depletion in the world's oceans as now. (lu.se)
  • In the Baltic Sea, the areas of oxygen depletion have increased so much, that it definitely cannot be attributed to a natural phenomenon", says Johanna Stadmark, project assistant for the Multistressors research environment at Lund University. (lu.se)
  • Then we can use today's models to see whether this leaching could affect the oxygen levels on the bed of the Baltic Sea sufficiently to cause oxygen depletion. (lu.se)
  • This can alleviate phosphorus limitation of autotrophic growth at the sun-lit surface as mixing and upwelling closes the positive feedback loop which may accelerate deoxygenation. (nature.com)