What is poison gas?
Q: What is poison gas?
A: Poison gas is any gas that is also a poison. It can kill or hurt a person if there is lots of it and there are many different types with their own properties. Many toxic liquids can easily evaporate at normal temperatures and become poisonous gases.
Q: How do corrosive poison gases usually affect people?
A: In small amounts, corrosive poison gases usually cause irritation, and may have a smell, but this is not always the case. They can cause chemical burns to the skin and lungs when taken into the inside of the human body either by breathing in or through skin contact.
Q: What are some examples of common non-poisonous gases?
A: All gases other than oxygen can take over air, and cause death by asphyxiation. Examples of these non-poisonous gases include nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
Q: How do alkylating poisons work?
A: Alkylating poisons are attacked by human DNA and proteins which causes cell death, cancer and a diverse set of symptoms caused by malfunctioning of the alkylated proteins. Mustard gas is an example of an alkylating agent.
Q: What kind of damage can fluoride ions cause in humans?
A: Fluoride ions released into the human body can cause a loss of calcium in the blood which leads to heart attack and death. Examples are hydrogen fluoride and chlorine trifluoride.
Q: Why might someone use poison gas in industry?
A: Poison gases are used in industry as chemical reagents for certain reactions that cannot be done without them even though they are toxic substances; chemists try to avoid using them whenever possible. Some fumigants (chemicals used to kill pests) such as phosphine may also be classified as poisonous gases due to their toxicity but they have advantages such as evaporating after use so no need for rinsing off food treated with it afterwards.
