It's very toxic and pretty nasty stuff - its reputation is well deserved. Considering the health hazards associated with phosgene, the chemical industry is trying to find substitutes to eliminate its use. But the use of chlorinated hydrocarbons is being reduced because of the legal restrictions of the Montreal Protocol, so phosgene is also decreasing, he added.
Phosgene plays a major role in the preparation of pharmaceuticals, herbicides, insecticides, synthetic foams, resins and polymers, though its use is being reduced.
Higher up in the atmosphere, ultraviolet rays slowly oxidize phosgene, and so it continues to play a role in the depletion of the ozone layer.
The research was financed by the Canada Space Agency (CSA) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and is published in the latest edition of Geophysical Research Letters.
Source-ANI
GAN/C