German company to build toxic gas generator for Iran

LONDON -- A German company has signed a contract with Iran to construct a toxic gas generator for Iran.

The London-based Chemical Engineer reported in March that Kvaerner Process Technology has signed a contract with the German construction company, Salzgitter Anlagenbau, to supply a 1450 kg/h phosgene generator for installation into an Iranian poly-carbonate production site.

The report said that the contract also includes a purification stage.

Phosgene or Carbonic Dichloride is a highly toxic gas which, if inhaled, can be fatal. In the worst case scenario, inhaling phosgene can cause severe pulmonary endema or pneumonia. Inhalation of high concentrations of the gas causes choking, a constricted feeling in chest, coughing, painful breathing and spitting up bloody sputum.

Phosgene is most commonly used in the preparation of many organic chemicals or in chemical and biological warfare.