Syria Used Chemical Weapons Against Its Own People, US Believes - What Is Sarin & What Are Symptoms Of Exposure?

The U.S. believes that Syria used chemical weapons against its own people, according to a statement from the White House on Thursday.

And while a letter from the White House to Congress stated that more evidence is needed for confirmation, it is believed "with some degree of varying confidence" that Syria used the nerve agent sarin on its people. 

"Our intelligence community does assess with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin," the letter said.

The belief is based on "physiological samples," but more information is needed regarding when and how the chemical agent was used, according to the White House letter.

There are also reports that Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. believes Syria used sarin against its own people twice, but that information was not included in the letter.

And although the details regarding Syria's use of chemical weapons are vague, the White House said they believe the supposed act came from the Assad regime and that they still are in possession of the weapons.

"We do believe that any use of chemical weapons in Syria would very likely have originated with the Assad regime," the letter said.

"Thus far, we believe that the Assad regime maintains custody of these weapons, and has demonstrated a willingness to escalate its horrific use of violence against the Syrian people."

But Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that he has yet to see the evidence proving Syria's use of chemical agents, but added that such an act "violates every convention of war."

The investigation into Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons comes after a bipartisan group of senators asked the White House to look into the matter following information from Israel regarding the alleged act.

Israeli military intelligence claims that they obtained photographs of Syrian people foaming from the mouth, signaling the use of chemical weapons.

"Sarin is a human-made chemical warfare agent classified as a nerve agent. Nerve agents are the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known chemical warfare agents," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"They are similar to certain kinds of pesticides (insect killers) called organophosphates in terms of how they work and what kind of harmful effects they cause. However, nerve agents are much more potent than organophosphate pesticides."

There are many symptoms of exposure to this odorless agent including runny nose, watery eyes, eye pain, confusion and rapid breathing. 

For a full list of symptoms and more information about sarin, visit the CDC site about the chemical agent. 

(SOURCE)