poison

Sources have provided The Media Line with a true picture of the extent of the incidents, including the names of many of the schools singled out for attack

The poisonings began in November in the holy Shi'ite Muslim city of Qom and spread to 25 of Iran's 31 provinces, prompting some parents to take children out of school and protest.

Iranian pro-regime media are afraid that the regime will be blamed, so they have deployed a number of theories about what happened in order to distract attention from the events.

The so-far unexplained poison attacks at more than 30 schools in at least four cities started in November in Iran's Shi'ite Muslim holy city of Qom.

Iranians chanted "death to the child-killing government" after eight schools reported poisonings in one day.

Iran's deputy health minister confirmed that "some people" were poisoning girls but didn't elaborate on who or how.

Many women have been straightening their hair in recent years, but they may not be aware of the serious potentially life-threatening health risks.

Samples of the poison were taken for analysis and an investigation was opened into the assassination attempt.

Poisonous chemicals that are often used in makeup are especially dangerous for children because of their undeveloped immune systems.

Similar conspiracy theories were spread after the death of PLO leader Yasser Arafat, although a French investigation found no evidence of foul play.