Chemical Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism: TICs & TIMs

Chemical Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism
Training Support Package
Participant Guide
Slide 30
Chemical Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism:
TICs & TIMs
Chlorine: Physical Properties
• Green -yellow, pungent gas
• Low odor threshold;
moderate warning properties
• Intermediate water solubility
• Boiling point –31 oF
• Vapor density 2.5 (heavier than
air)
• Reacts explosively with many
compounds
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Module One – Toxic Industrial Gases as Terrorist Threats
30
Chlorine is a gas at standard temperature and pressure. Its presence is recognizable by
a yellow-green color and pungent odor. Its vapor density is 2.5 (2.5 times as heavy as
air).
Chlorine has intermediate water solubility. Its solubility is between that of ammonia and
phosgene (300 times less soluble than ammonia). As such, it can cause upper and
lower airway symptoms after exposure.
Though it has a low odor threshold of 3 ppm, the noxious odor does not necessarily
serve as a reliable warning. Irritative symptoms can occur after exposure to chlorine gas
at 1ppm for several hours which would be below the odor threshold (i.e. one would
develop irritation prior to detecting the chlorine odor).
Chlorine is a very reactive substance. When released, it does not exist for long in the
molecular gas (Cl 2 ) form, but combines – often explosively – with other compounds.
December 2008 Version 2.0 Page 154