Residents in the Syrian capital of Damascus are urging officials to check their food and water supplies for possible contamination; days after a suspected poison gas attack killed hundreds of people in the crop-growing suburbs.
According to Reuters, the poison gas hit the Ghouta area on Aug. 21, where acres of agricultural land supply the capital of 3 million people with fresh vegetables, meat and dairy. India's western countries believe President Bashar al-Assad's forces carried out the chemical weapon attack. Syria's government denies any role in the deaths and blames rebels.
Grandmother Hana said her three daughters were now fretting about what to feed their children.
"They keep calling me throughout the day, and they are frantic," she said. "They ask: 'Mum, what about the watermelon? Does it absorb the chemicals? What about the milk?' I try to calm them down, but I'm very worried myself. What if it takes years for any effects to show up in the children?"
There has been no response from Syrian authorities on whether people need to take special precautions to protect themselves from possible contamination. It's not currently clear what poison or mixture of poisons were responsible for the killings.
Reuters reported that sarin gas, which can be mixed with water, have been mention. People can be exposed to it by touching or drinking contaminated water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. People can also be exposed by eating contaminated food.
The United States and France believe sarin gas has been used in previous, smaller incidents in Syria. Damascenes said on the night of the poisoning was some of the loudest and most continuous bombardment of the war.
According to Reuters, this current attack is considered the worst chemical weapons attack since former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein gassed thousands of Kurds in 1988.
