Woman on the beach in Germany mistook a poisonous phosphorus with amber
Moscow. 6 Aug. INTERFAX.RU — a Resident of Germany accidentally escaped injury, collecting amber on the banks of the river Elbe near Hamburg, said on Sunday BBC News.
She picked up a small object, mistaking him for amber and put it in the pocket of a jacket lying on the bench.
According to eyewitnesses, the jacket caught fire pretty quickly. 41-year-old woman miraculously escaped unharmed. The subject was a piece of white phosphorus, which entered into reaction with the air once dry.
Police have warned beach goers that gather amber is better in cans because it can be confused with the piece of phosphorus.
Phosphorus is used in bombs that the allies dropped on Germany during the Second World war, and is still found on the coast. Its temperature is 1300 degrees Celsius, and the flame impossible to extinguish with water. Burns phosphorus is very painful and often require skin grafting.