Arsine: Information About this Toxic Gas

Many people are familiar with the chemical element arsenic and the harm that it can cause. However, some people may have never heard of the toxic gas, arsine, which can be created by arsenic. Arsine can actually be formed several different ways when arsenic is involved. Like many other industrial chemicals, arsine is beneficial in certain industrial processes, but it still is very dangerous.

The chemical compound for Arsine is AsH_3, thus making it the simplest compound of arsenic. Arsine is a toxic gas that is colorless and flammable. Many people describe the smell of arsine as a "garlic like" odor, or even a "fishy" odor. One of the main ways that arsine is produced is by arsenic coming into contact with an acid. An example of arsine being produced is when "arsenic containing metals undergo acid washes (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2007)." Initially, most people have no idea that they have been exposed to arsine because there are not immediate effects unless you're exposed to a large amount. This is one of the reasons that arsine can be so dangerous.

After being exposed to arsine a person can begin to feel its effects from as little to 2 hours after to as long as a day later. Some common symptoms after arsine exposure are fatigue, headache, drowsiness, confusion, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, nausea, red or dark urine, yellow skin and eyes, and muscle cramps. More serious symptoms that come with heavier exposure include loss of consciousness, convulsions, paralysis, and respiratory failure (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006). If exposed to arsine at lower levels there is the risk of long term effects. Long term effects could be kidney damage, numbness and pain in body limbs, and memory loss. The main damage that arsine causes to your body is that it harms your red blood cells.

Many of us know that red blood cells are responsible for delivering oxygen from the lungs to various body tissues. Once arsine is absorbed trough the lungs, it is able to enter red blood cells. Once arsine has entered the red blood cells it can cause several different problems. One way it could damage a red blood cell is by causing it to break open, thus releasing hemoglobin. This then causes oxygen transportation to be disrupted, and results in the collection of hydrogen peroxide which destroys red blood cell membranes (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2007). The damage done by arsine can be even worse for people with heart or kidney problems and especially anemia or other blood problems.

After seeing all the negative effects that arsine can have on people it can be hard to remember that it is an important industrial chemical. "Arsine is commonly used as a doping agent in the semiconductor industry." It is also used in the manufacturing of computer chips and fiber optics when crystals are needed to be made. Some other common industrial processes that use arsine occasionally are galvanizing, soldering, etching, burnishing, and lead plating (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2007). People have also sought to utilize arsine's effects for reasons other than industrial processes.

Like many other chemicals, arsine was looked into for the purpose of serving as a chemical warfare agent during WWII. The reason for this being that the gas is colorless, mostly odorless, and more than two times denser than air (Wikipedia, 2007). However, arsine was never used as a chemical warfare agent. This was due to it's being highly flammable and its inefficiency compared to other chemical agents. Arsine has been able to serve a purpose though when it comes to chemical warfare. It has been used as a base for some organic compounds such as lewisite, adamsite, Clark I, and Clark II (Wikipedia, 2007).

After examining all of the negative health effects that arsine can have on a person, safety and protection from arsine should be thoroughly explained. The initial actions that should be taken when first exposed to arsine are moving to an area with fresh air. Clothes should be immediately removed and your entire body should be washed with soap and water. The clothes should be disposed of in a plastic bag and sealed off after they are removed. If your eyes are burning also then they should be rinsed for 10 to 15 minutes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006). There is no antidote for arsine, but medical attention should still be sought shortly after exposure.

The rescue personnel have quite a few responsibilities once they respond to the scene of the arsine exposure. Obviously, these people should be trained for situations like these and they should also know what type of clothing to wear when entering the contaminated area. Full-face piece respirators are recommended, but chemical-protective clothing is not required (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2007). When the personnel encounter the victims they should escort them to the appropriate area and properly evaluate the person if they have suffered any trauma. Emergency procedures such as cricothyroidotomy may need to be performed if a person cannot breathe properly.

Arsine like many other industrial chemicals is highly toxic but also necessary for some industrial processes. Luckily, there is the MSDS which should be made available at any workplace that uses arsine. With proper care and little negligence when it comes to preparing for a possible contamination, serious disasters can be adverted.

References

(2003, 08 29). Facts about Arsine. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/arsine/facts.asp

(2005, 02 25). MSDS information. Retrieved November 28, 2007, from Environment, Safety, and Health Online Web site: http://www.ehso.com/msdssites.php?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fptcl.chem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/adir.html

(2007, 09 24). MMG: arsine. Retrieved November 29, 2007, from Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Web site: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/MHMI/mmg169.html

(2007, 10 05). Arsine. Retrieved November 28, 2007, from Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsine