Dr. Clif CleavelandIn the early morning hours of Aug. 21, rockets slammed into the suburbs of Damascus, Syria, which were occupied by opponents to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Pictures document the release of whitish clouds of chemicals.
Adults and children in the immediate area of impact collapsed; many died on the spot, others in aid stations. At least 1,000 victims succumbed. First responders who did not have protective gloves and clothing suffered similar fates. Clinical evidence points strongly to sarin, a nerve gas, as the gaseous weapon deployed.
Poisonous gases had been used sporadically in the late 19th century. In 1899, the Hague Gas Declaration banned the military use of poison gases. Many nations signed the accord. The U.S. Senate opposed the resolution, citing interference with national sovereignty.
Both sides used poison gases in World War I. Chlorine gas, which causes death through severe damage to lungs, was released by German forces in the Battle of Ypres. By war’s end, all major participants had employed chlorine, mustard gas, which caused severe blistering of skin and could blind victims, and phosgene, a slower-acting, odorless gas that caused suffocation through lung injury.
The Treaty of Versailles of 1919 banned the future use of poison gases in warfare. The U.S. did not sign the treaty because of its inclusion in the establishment of the League of Nations. We also refused to sign the 1925 Geneva Protocol, banning the use, but not the stockpiling, of chemical weapons.