Baghdad Reporters Get Gas Masks

Fox News freelancer Clarissa Ward blogs from Baghdad on FOXNews.com:

“Back at the bureau, we were issued gas masks and told what to do in case of a gas explosion. There have been three attacks in the last month involving the use of chlorine gas. In high concentrations, chlorine mixes with moisture in your eyeballs and respiratory tracts, and forms a pungent acid that then eats away at the tissue. Not a nice way to go. The first thing to do if you see a yellow/green cloud of gas, or if people around you are choking, is to stop breathing immediately and then run to your mask.

The masks are intensely claustrophobic and very fiddly to get on and off. I kept pulling chunks of my hair out and I never managed to hold my breath before the mask was secured. I am hoping that I will get better with some practice.”