Phosgene
Key Points
Fire
- Non-combustible gas under normal conditions
- Emits toxic vapours
- In the event of a fire involving phosgene, use fine water spray and wear liquid-tight protective clothing with breathing apparatus
Health
- Phosgene is extremely poisonous by inhalation, skin and eye exposure
- Inhalation at low concentrations may cause irritation to the airways
- Inhalation at high concentrations may cause breathlessness and coughing and possible delayed serious lung damage
- Signs of poisoning may be delayed by several hours
- Skin and eye exposure may cause irritation and burns
- The effect of long-term exposure is thought to cause similar symptoms as short-term exposure
- Phosgene is not thought to be carcinogenic or mutagenic
Environment
- Avoid release into environment
- Inform Environment Agency of any substantial release incidents
All sections are available to download in PDF format below:
Phosgene - Full Document (PDF, 184 KB)- General Information (PDF, 79 KB)
- Incident Management (PDF, 92 KB)
- Toxicological Overview (PDF, 74 KB)