It has been linked to causing leukemia and birth defects. Sarin is a highly toxic gas which attacks the central nervous system. Depending upon concentration of Sarin, toxicity can occur within minutes. In low levels, it causes severe headaches, increased salivation and constrict air passages to the lungs. In higher doses, it causes coughing, increased perspiration, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and breathing difficulties.
Death can follow due to suffocation.
But from the beginning, Iraq sought to thwart inspections of its WMD facilities. In the early years of the inspections, things seemed to be going smoothly. As the inspections continued, Iraq became increasingly irate, demanding an immediate end to economic sanctions and offering ever more interference to inspections. Hours after the last of the inspectors were out of the country, the U.S. and United Kingdom launched bombing raids against Iraq in an effort to make it submit to inspections. There have been no inspections since.