Iran has announced that an investigation has been opened regarding the poisoning of hundreds of schoolgirls in Tehran and other cities. Female students in dozens of schools have been taken to hospitals with symptoms of poisoning since last November. Some opposition groups abroad blamed the government
Officials in Iran are “investigating” the poisoning of hundreds of schoolgirls across the country after a wave of hospitalizations sparked anger against the government for initially downplaying the incidents.
Since last November, hundreds of female students from dozens of schools have been taken to hospitals with symptoms of poisoning such as nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, dizziness and fatigue. In one video posted on social media last Wednesday, a girl with asthma said she mentioned to her teacher that she had a strange smell and was having trouble breathing, after which the teacher asked the class if they smelled anything, and then the whole class got sick.
The number of such incidents has risen sharply in recent days, with at least 20 cases reported in Tehran and three other cities last Wednesday, according to Iranian officials, teachers and students. Amid growing uncertainty and anger about what is happening, officials have blamed religious fundamentalists who oppose girls’ education as suspects in the attacks, while some opposition groups abroad have blamed the government.
Iran’s main teachers’ union on Wednesday called the attacks “biological terrorism” aimed at creating social panic among young women who have led recent protests against the country’s leadership. The union accused the government of denying the attacks and misinforming the public for three months.
Angry parents whose children suffered from the symptoms of poisoning demonstrated last Wednesday in front of schools where their children fell ill, chanting “Death to Khamenei”, referring to Iran’s supreme leader, and “Death to the regime of child killers”, according to records on social networks.
The first incident was reported in the central city of Qom, a holy city for Iranians, on November 30, when 18 students were reported to have been poisoned. A month later, 51 students from the same school were hospitalized with similar symptoms.
Since the end of January, the frequency of incidents has increased, with 26 schools affected, according to the teachers’ union, in Qom, Tehran, Ardabil, Kermansha, Boroujard and Isfahan. Most of the victims in Iran are from elementary or high school. Some said they suffered symptoms of poisoning after smelling a strange odor, which they described as similar to a rotten tangerine.
Some of the poison has a slightly fruity smell, but the Iranian government said the compounds used in the alleged attacks were not chemical weapons and were largely treatable. In videos from the scene, health care workers are seen giving only oxygen to the sick girls before they are evacuated in ambulances. Some girls said they felt numbness or tingling in their hands and feet, which can also be a symptom of anxiety.