Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
White phosphorus munitions are weapons that use one of the common allotropes of the chemical element phosphorus. White phosphorus is used in smoke , illumination , and incendiary munitions, and is commonly the burning element of tracer ammunition . [ 1 ]
People exposed to white phosphorus can suffer severe and sometimes deadly bone-deep burns. It can cause organs to shut down, and burns on just 10% of the body can be fatal, HRW said.
White phosphorus is rather acutely toxic, with a lethal dose of 50-100 mg (1 mg/kg body weight). Its mode of action is thought to involve its reducing properties. It is metabolized to phosphate, which is not toxic. [10] White phosphorus is used as a weapon because it is pyrophoric. For the same reasons, it is dangerous to handle.
It can cause “excruciating burns and lifelong suffering,” a Human Rights Watch spokesperson said.
The white phosphorus allotrope presents a significant hazard because it ignites in the air and produces phosphoric acid residue. Chronic white phosphorus poisoning leads to necrosis of the jaw called "phossy jaw". White phosphorus is toxic, causing severe liver damage on ingestion and may cause a condition known as "Smoking Stool Syndrome". [144]
The Pentagon recommended providing the white phosphorus shells to Ukraine as part of several aid packages, including a recent one, as a Presidential Drawdown Authority, according to the officials.
White phosphorus was the active ingredient of most matches from the 1840s to the 1910s. Concern over phossy jaw contributed to the London matchgirls strike of 1888 , and although this strike did not end the use of white phosphorus, William Booth and The Salvation Army opened a match-making factory in 1891 that used the much safer, though more ...
The claim that white phosphorus was being used by Israel in this week’s conflict has been circulating for several days online. On Oct. 10, the official X account of the Palestinian Ministry of ...