UN-diana Jones

I got a good laugh at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark when the packing crate containing the deadly ark disappeared into a secure government warehouse, ever ready to renew its mischief in case Spielberg couldn't think of any better sequel scenario (not to worry). Now that a can of Saddam's old phosgene has been discovered at the UN in New York, the comic foreboding seems a lot less comic. That stuff might not melt your screaming face, but it'll definitely do a number on your lungs, since it reacts with water to form hydrochloric acid.

It would be interesting to know how potent the sample remained. Since it was in an oil suspension, I assume that it was both safer to handle and more long-lasting than had it been stored as a gas.

Update: Phosgene only on paper, it turns out.