Poison pen letter
Sir: Your leader (25 March) seems to assert that Saddam Hussein attacked Halabjah with hydrogen cyanide. Since this is only reliably lethal in confined spaces, the intel- ligent will have assumed otherwise. Cyanide is, however, a decomposition prod- uct of the hundredfold more toxic Tabun, as is a fishy-smelling amine which accorded with nosewitness reports of the Iraqi attack. No journalist having ever reached the letter T in his investigations into nerve-gas, all were surprised when Tabun was found in the Iraqi armoury after the Gulf war. Except in cold, dry climates, it has advan- tages over Sarin, including being two chem- ical steps nearer materials every chemical I ab contains.
Sarin must have proved a sad disappoint- ment to the Japanese terrorists: five or six detonations of 'the poor man's nuclear weapon' in favourable circumstances, with a total death toll no higher than would be expected of a single hand grenade.
Dr P.G. Urben
2 Upper Rosemary Hill, Kenilworth, Warwickshire
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