Assessment of Red Phosphorus in the Environment

This report is a brief critical review of the current literature relevant to the environmental and health effects of the use of red phosphorus in smoke and obscurant munitions by the Army. Properties of the element in its red allotropic form and its many combustion products, various oxyacids of phosphorus, are discussed within the context of their release to the environment in testing and military training operations. The possible consequences of increased environmental burdens of acid and phosphate deposition are considered, and toxicological effects are reviewed briefly. Keywords Red phosphorus, Phosphates, XM819 mortar, Smokes, Phosphine, Orthophosphoric acid, Obscurants, L8A1 grenades, Environmental fate and effects.