{"title":"Aluminum phosphide: Toxicological profiles, health risks, environmental impact, and management protocols: A review.","authors":"Selin Çakmakcı Karakaya, Cavit Işık Yavuz","doi":"10.4103/tjem.tjem_49_25","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aluminum phosphide (AlP) is a common pesticide known for extremely negative environmental, health, and work-related outcomes. Its high availability and easy accessibility have led it to become the chosen method of suicide in many low- and middle-income countries. When AlP reacts with moisture or water, it releases phosphine gas, which is quickly absorbed by the body and leads to severe toxic effects, even death. Occupational and environmental health risks are particularly high in cases of large-scale fumigation or accidental exposure. In Türkiye, two people, one of whom was a child, died due to AlP accidents that affected workplaces and the environment and caused hospitalizations in 2023. In 2024, further suspected cases have been reported, highlighting the ongoing risk. First responders, particularly emergency department team, paramedics, and firefighters, are at significant risk of exposure when managing these cases. The lack of awareness and appropriate protective measures during initial intervention can lead to secondary exposure, worsening the crisis. Medical staff taking care of victims are also at risk of being exposed, further emphasizing the need for stringent safety precautions. Besides, this pollution might cause irreversible damage to soil and water. Thus, this review provides insight into the physical and chemical properties, mechanism of toxicity, current treatment modalities, health-environmental effects, and preventive measures. Given its high toxicity and frequent usage, increased awareness and preparedness among first responders and healthcare professionals are essential. This is a lesson in practice for better safety protocols and emergency response to mitigate health hazards and environmental impacts.</p>","PeriodicalId":46536,"journal":{"name":"Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine","volume":"25 3","pages":"178-190"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12309822/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4103/tjem.tjem_49_25","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"EMERGENCY MEDICINE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Aluminum phosphide (AlP) is a common pesticide known for extremely negative environmental, health, and work-related outcomes. Its high availability and easy accessibility have led it to become the chosen method of suicide in many low- and middle-income countries. When AlP reacts with moisture or water, it releases phosphine gas, which is quickly absorbed by the body and leads to severe toxic effects, even death. Occupational and environmental health risks are particularly high in cases of large-scale fumigation or accidental exposure. In Türkiye, two people, one of whom was a child, died due to AlP accidents that affected workplaces and the environment and caused hospitalizations in 2023. In 2024, further suspected cases have been reported, highlighting the ongoing risk. First responders, particularly emergency department team, paramedics, and firefighters, are at significant risk of exposure when managing these cases. The lack of awareness and appropriate protective measures during initial intervention can lead to secondary exposure, worsening the crisis. Medical staff taking care of victims are also at risk of being exposed, further emphasizing the need for stringent safety precautions. Besides, this pollution might cause irreversible damage to soil and water. Thus, this review provides insight into the physical and chemical properties, mechanism of toxicity, current treatment modalities, health-environmental effects, and preventive measures. Given its high toxicity and frequent usage, increased awareness and preparedness among first responders and healthcare professionals are essential. This is a lesson in practice for better safety protocols and emergency response to mitigate health hazards and environmental impacts.
期刊介绍:
The Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine (Turk J Emerg Med) is an International, peer-reviewed, open-access journal that publishes clinical and experimental trials, case reports, invited reviews, case images, letters to the Editor, and interesting research conducted in all fields of Emergency Medicine. The Journal is the official scientific publication of the Emergency Medicine Association of Turkey (EMAT) and is printed four times a year, in January, April, July and October. The language of the journal is English. The Journal is based on independent and unbiased double-blinded peer-reviewed principles. Only unpublished papers that are not under review for publication elsewhere can be submitted. The authors are responsible for the scientific content of the material to be published. The Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine reserves the right to request any research materials on which the paper is based. The Editorial Board of the Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine and the Publisher adheres to the principles of the International Council of Medical Journal Editors, the World Association of Medical Editors, the Council of Science Editors, the Committee on Publication Ethics, the US National Library of Medicine, the US Office of Research Integrity, the European Association of Science Editors, and the International Society of Managing and Technical Editors.