20 Dangerous Artifacts Pulled from Ocean Wrecks

Phosgene was one of the most feared chemical weapons of World War I. It was an invisible gas that caused lethal damage to the lungs. After the war, huge stockpiles of phosgene-filled artillery shells were dumped at sea. Occasionally, deep-sea dredging equipment or fishing nets will snag one of these corroded munitions. When that happens, everything stops. Because of the extreme pulmonary toxicity, the shell must be immediately quarantined. HAZMAT teams are called in to handle the device, a deadly messenger from a war that ended a century ago.