PHOSGENE (CG)
- Hazardous upon inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact; poisonous gas at room temperature, but may occur in liquid form
- Symptom onset usually less than a day, sometimes as long as three days
- odor described as 'new mown hay' at smaller concentrations and 'irritating' or 'toxic' in nature at higher
- Symptoms include: eye irritaion, tearing, corneal clouding, burning sensation in throat and eyes, nausea, shortness of breath, chest tightness, hypoxemia, tachycardia, and layrngospasm, pulmonary edema with exposure to high concentrations and ultimately heart failure
- major mechanisms of dame are via acylation of nucleophiles and lipid peroxidation
- hexamethylenetetramine prior to exposure offers significant prophylaxis
- no recognized antidotes to phosgene exposure currently exist