B747 CAPT REPORTS THE ATTEMPT TO SHIP PHOSPHINE GAS ON HIS ACFT WHICH IS POISONOUS AND NOT TO BE SHIPPED BY AIR.

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I WAS GIVEN THE HAZMAT ENVELOPE AS PART OF THE LOADING PROC. AS I INSPECTED THE PAPERWORK ONE OF THE SLIPS INDICATED THAT PHOSPHINE GAS HAD BEEN LOADED ONTO THE ACFT. I TOLD THE LOADING SUPVR THAT I WANTED IT REMOVED FROM THE ACFT. SHE ASKED WHY AND I TOLD HER THAT I HAD WORKED WITH THIS GAS BEFORE AND IT WAS ONLY SHIPPABLE BY GND; SHE SAID SHE WOULD REMOVE IT. A SHORT WHILE LATER ANOTHER LOAD SUPVR CAME UP AND SAID THAT THE GAS WAS SAFE TO GO IN FACT THE NUMBER IT WAS BEING SHIPPED UNDER ALLOWED 70 KG OF IT TO BE ONBOARD. I SAID I DID NOT CARE WHAT NUMBER IT WAS BEING SHIPPED UNDER; I WANTED IT REMOVED FROM THE ACFT. PHOSPHINE GAS IS 1 OF THE 3 PRIMARY GASES USED IN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING; THE OTHERS BEING ARSINE AND BORONTRIFLOURIDE AND WHEN THEY ARE BEING HANDLED THEY REQUIRE A FULL RESPIRATION SYS TO BE WORN AS THEY ARE ALL FATAL IF INHALED IN ANY AMOUNT. I AM ACUTELY AWARE OF THIS AS I WORKED WITH THESE GASES FOR 8 YRS. I ASKED THE ORIGINAL LOAD SUPVR WAS THE PHOSPHINE IN A BOX ABOUT 4 X 4 X 18 INCHES. SHE SAID YES; WHICH ONLY FURTHER CONVINCED ME IT NEEDED REMOVING AS THAT MEANT IT WAS BEING SHIPPED IN WHAT IS CALLED A 7X LETCHER BOTTLE. I AM CURIOUS AS TO HOW THIS PRODUCT MADE IT INTO THE AIR SYS AND IF 70 KG IS ALLOWED IS ANYBODY AWARE OF THE DEATHS IT WOULD CAUSE IF IT LEAKED OUT AND WOULD THE CFR CREWS BE WILLING TO SET FOOT NEAR THE ACFT IF THEY KNEW IT WAS ABOARD. ONE OTHER FACTOR HELPED ME MAKE UP MY MIND: WE WERE BEING DISPATCHED WITH ONLY 1 AIR CONDITIONING PACK OPERATING.