by admin | June 22, 2021 10:30 am
Phosphorus is an important element found in nature and widely used in industry. It comes in two forms – red and yellow phosphorus. Red phosphorus is not volatile, not soluble, and cannot be absorbed efficiently by the human body, making it non-toxic. However, yellow (or white) phosphorus is just the opposite. It is easily absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract, making it a local and systemic toxin. Once absorbed, it can damage the liver[1], kidneys[2], heart[3], and organs of the digestive system, leading to death in many cases.
Unfortunately, yellow phosphorus (YP) is widely used in industry. It’s a key component in military ammunition, fire matchsticks, fertilizers, firework crackers, and rodenticides, or rat poison. Inhaling or ingesting YP can have deadly consequences. The most common brands of rat poison in India are Warfarin and Ratol. Warfarin is relatively non-toxic to humans unless consumed in large quantities. However, rodents have developed resistance against Warfarin, which makes it ineffective. So farmers have turned in a big way to Ratol, which contains 3% by weight of YP. This is a cheap and highly effective rat poison that is easily available over the counter.
In the last couple of decades, there have been innumerable instances of consumption of rat poison, either accidentally or with the intention of taking one’s life, in developing countries. Closer home, such instances have been reported from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Nepal. Accidental consumption by children happens because the product comes as an orange-yellow paste applied on bread slices to be consumed by rats. But it is appealing to children who mistake it for toothpaste (one instance) or butter (few instances).
Between 1 to 8 hours of consuming the rat poison, the person starts vomiting orange-yellow matter with a strong garlicky smell depending on the quantity ingested. Depending on when the person was rushed for emergency medical care[5], there can be a wide range of symptoms (Source: multiple sources including Indian Journal of Pharmacology)
Depending on the time interval between consumption and start of treatment, the dosage consumed, and symptoms being exhibited, the doctors will pursue one or more of the following:
In spite of the above measures, many patients have died due to multiple-organ failure. This is a testimony to how toxic the poison is, the main reason being that YP has no strong antidote. It has to be converted into other compounds or pumped out, or its effect delayed. That is what the above treatment options try to achieve.
This means prevention is better than cure when it comes to yellow phosphorus. The following steps must be taken in case of non-military or domestic settings.
Farming or agriculture comes with various challenges, one of them being rodents that devour raw crops or stored produce. Rodenticides may be effective, but they are toxic and fatal to human beings when consumed accidentally or for the purpose of taking one’s life. One should explore alternate methods for eliminating rodents and not rely completely on these toxic chemicals. The age-old slogan ‘better safe than sorry’ holds true here too.
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