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Phossy-jaw is a deadly occupational hazard for those who work with white phosphorus in an environment without proper safeguards. It was most commonly seen in workers in the match industry in the 19th and early 20th century. Modern industrial hygiene practices have eliminated the conditions which lead to this affliction.
Chronic exposure to white phosphorus vapor, the active ingredient of most matches from the 1840's to the 1910's, caused a deposition of phosphorus in the jaw bones. Over time, the jaw bone would begin to abscess, a process which was both extremely painful and disfiguring to the patient, and repellent to others, since drainage from the dying bone tissue was exceedingly foul-smelling. Surgical removal of the afflicted jaw bones might save the sufferers' life at this point--otherwise, death from organ failure would invariably follow.
Public revulsion eventually caused changes in match manufacturing which eliminated the disease. In some nations, legislative action was required to force these changes on a reluctant industry.