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.