Phosphine is a colorless, toxic gas with a garlic-like odor. It is primarily produced by the decomposition of phosphides such as aluminum phosphide and zinc phosphide. Inhalation or contact can cause damage to multiple organs, including the respiratory and nervous systems.
1. Industrial/Agricultural Operational Protection
Fumigation sites must be airtight. Before use, check the integrity of the covering material. Grain bins must be tightly sealed. When sealing, cover the grain pile with plastic film and press the edges firmly. The sealing period should be limited to approximately 10 days.
When using aluminum phosphide fumigation, operators must wear a gas mask (the canister must be regularly tested for effectiveness), protective clothing, and rubber gloves. If a garlic odor is detected during operation, evacuate immediately.
Workspaces must be equipped with portable electrochemical phosphine detector or fixed online monitoring systems to monitor phosphine concentrations in real time to ensure they remain below the safety threshold of 0.3 mg/m³ (approximately 0.2 ppm). Emergency ventilation should be initiated immediately if the concentration exceeds the safety threshold.
Fumigation should be completed for at least seven days, and warehouses should be re-entered only after the concentration drops below 0.2 ppm.
2. Home and Daily Precautions
Aluminum phosphide should be stored in a sealed, dry, and ventilated area. It should not be mixed with household items and should be kept out of the reach of children.
During home fumigation, the work area should be separated from the living area to prevent personnel from remaining in confined spaces.
Keep the workspace dry to reduce the risk of phosphine deliquescing with water to produce phosphine.
3. Emergency Response Principles
Individuals exposed to inhalation poisoning should be immediately moved to a ventilated area, remove contaminated clothing, and rinse with clean water for at least 15 minutes if exposed to the skin. If poisonous substances such as aluminum phosphide are accidentally ingested, do not induce vomiting or use magnesium sulfate as a cathartic. Immediately perform gastric lavage with a 1:5000 potassium permanganate solution and administer activated charcoal orally to absorb the poison.
Patients with moderate to severe poisoning require prompt oxygen therapy (high-flow oxygen or hyperbaric oxygen chamber) and blood purification, supplemented with medications such as glucocorticoids and diuretics to control symptoms.
4. Protection of Special Populations
Children should be kept away from fumigation sites and pesticide storage areas, and should be taught not to touch items containing phosphides, such as matches and rodenticides.
When extinguishing a fire caused by phosphine, only cover the fire with sand; do not use water. Food fumigated at home must be thoroughly ventilated to disperse the poison before processing and consumption.The risk of phosphine poisoning can be effectively reduced through standardized operating procedures, enhanced protective equipment, phosphine detector is a real-time concentration monitoring device which can ensure safety of worker.