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White phosphorus is rather acutely toxic, with a lethal dose of 50-100 mg (1 mg/kg body weight). Its mode of action is not known but is thought to involve its reducing properties, possibly forming intermediate reducing compounds such as hypophosphite, phosphite, and phosphine.
If on the other hand the toxic properties of white phosphorus are specifically intended to be used as a weapon, that, of course, is prohibited, because the way the convention is structured or applied, any chemicals used against humans or animals that cause harm or death through the toxic properties of the chemical are considered chemical weapons.
Produced from phosphate embedded in rocks, white phosphorus is a toxic substance that’s used in fertilizers, cleaning compounds as well as military tools and weapons, according to the Centers ...
White phosphorus is the least stable, the most reactive, the most volatile, the least dense and the most toxic of the allotropes. White phosphorus gradually changes to red phosphorus, accelerated by light and heat. Samples of white phosphorus almost always contain some red phosphorus and accordingly appear yellow.
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.
It can cause “excruciating burns and lifelong suffering,” a Human Rights Watch spokesperson said.
White phosphorus is a translucent waxy solid that quickly yellows in light, and impure white phosphorus is for this reason called yellow phosphorus. It is toxic, causing severe liver damage on ingestion and phossy jaw from chronic ingestion or inhalation. It glows greenish in the dark (when exposed to oxygen).
What exactly does white phosphorus do? White phosphorus has multiple uses. It can be used for essentially signaling, obscuring, or marking. Or it can be used as a weapon that burns people and objects.