That article is very vague. And after the lies of the Iraqi war with claims of WMD and other bullshit, I dont put it above the media to try and spin anything as possible use of poison gas or WMD. Its good for ratings so lets go with it! Right ? Right.
Look at the article critically though, and you can see the BS piling up within the first sentence. The part that stands out the most to me is the following:
"CAIRO -- Several Syrians have died after inhaling poisonous gas released by government forces in rebel-held districts of Homs, local eyewitnesses and activists claimed Monday.
Civilians were admitted to hospital with serious breathing problems after Sunday’s attack, according to doctors and groups who posted what they said was video of the aftermath to YouTube.
The gas is thought to have been a concentrated irritant, but not one of the deadly chemical weapons stockpiled by the regime of Syria president Bashar Assad."
The above admits that the gas is non-lethal, and later on in the article it admits that the gas came in via shells which leaked a white gas. It sounds bad enough, but we [the US] use the very same types of munitions ourselves to try and dissolve riots. The following munition is used by police almost daily in some part of the country, read the description.
http://www.bhigear.com/ctscanistergrenades.aspx
Canister Grenades Models 52, 62, & 82 Series
DESCRIPTION
These pyrotechnic canister grenades provide a continuous discharge of smoke under pressure. Three choices of composition are available. CN tear agent, CS riot control agent, and inert white smoke for training, screening and tactical purposes.
The Model 52 series is a full size grenade. The Model 62 series is medium sized having the form factor of the military M83 smoke grenade. The Model 82 series is compact in size allowing it to be easily carried in ammunition vests. The small size makes it particularly suited for tactical situations where mobility is critical.
The gas used is known as CS gas [tear gas].
Effects of CS gas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CS_gas#United_States
Effects
"
Many types of tear gas and other riot control agents have been produced with effects ranging from mild tearing of the eyes to immediate vomiting and prostration. CN and CS are the most widely used and known, but around 15 different types of tear gas have been developed worldwide e.g. adamsite or bromoacetone, CNB, and CNC. CS has become the most popular due to its strong effect and lack of toxicity in comparison with other similar chemical agents. The effect of CS on a person will depend on whether it is packaged as a solution or used as an aerosol. The size of solution droplets and the size of the CS particulates after evaporation are factors determining its effect on the human body.[9]"
Bird's eye view of the gas.
Most likely what happened, is anti-riot munitions were launched at rebels [effectively tear gas which can cause vomiting] - which dispersed the crowds and the rebels/media took that as a opportunity to say that deadly poison gas may now be in play. Tear can kill people but usually it doesn't, it sounds like Iraq all over again since even 1 person dying to it is being spun out of proportion.