It was a deadly reminder of the persistence of makeshift chemical weapons in Syria despite an international effort to destroy the country’s chemical weapons caches. Using chlorine as a weapon is banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention, but because of its widespread use for legal purposes, the substance was not included in the wholesale eradication of Syria’s chemical weapons. The bombing was the latest in a series of chlorine gas attacks that have killed or wounded scores during Syria’s five-year civil war. Chlorine gas was reintroduced to warfare in the Middle East during the American occupation of Iraq when insurgents made improvised explosive devices out of chlorine. Advertisement Continue reading the main storyWhat Are the Effects of Chlorine Gas?

Source: International New York Times August 12, 2016 01:18 UTC