Picture this: You are walking down a long boulevard arm-in-arm with other protesters,
chanting, shouting expletives, expressing your discontent with the day’s political
or social concern.
You grow in number as you approach your rendezvous point but halfway through your march, you
are blocked by a wall of riot shields and the heavily geared riot police to make sure
that the protest does not go devastatingly awry.
Unfortunately, things do not go as planned.
Somehow, somewhere, someone started a ruckus and everything begins to fall apart.
What was intended as a peaceful demonstration turned into a riot.
Law enforcers begin to move in to subdue the violence and protesters begin to defend themselves
from potential harm and abuse and, like a silent missile being shot into the sky, a
silver tin canister flies above everyone’s heads, a thick, white plume of what seems
to be smoke trailing from behind it.
People begin to disperse as the canister lands with and the thick cloud of smoke-like vapour
begins to spread and thicken.
Panic ensues and people run away from it; those who are unlucky get their senses bombarded
with a stinging sensation that stabs the eyes and constricts the lungs and airways.
It’s tear gas.
Tear gas is a collective term for lachrymatory agents that are a mixture of, generally, non-lethal
compounds designed to irritate the respiratory system and, most commonly, the eyes which
may incapacitate anyone with temporary blindness.
These compounds are used by many for self-defence but are most commonly employed by law enforcement
officers and the military to disperse large crowds or in much more dangerous missions.
WHAT IS TEAR GAS AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
As mentioned earlier, tear gas is a collective term for a number of different riot control
agents.
Despite its misleading namesake, it is not gaseous.
Instead, it is an aerosol mixture of multiple compounds that are referred to as tear producers
or lacrimators.
Among these compounds is Chloroacetophenone or CN which is present in Mace sprays.
Modern tear gas, on the other hand employs other ingredients but can always be traced
back to its most basic ingredient Orthochlorobenzalmalononitrite or CS, a crystalline substance that exudes
a pepper-like odour.
CS was first developed and synthesised in the 1950s and became the replacement of the
much more powerful CN – and, to this day, it is still one of the most go-to, non-lethal
riot control agents.
Though pepper spray may seem to have the same effects as tear gas, they are a little different
because its effects are more inflammatory than lacrimatory.
It is, however, more debilitating but is difficult to disperse and so it is used more commonly
as personal protection against assaults or wild animals.
Despite being a lot less lethal than bullets, tear gas are still powerful irritants that
can, upon contact with the skin, cause severe burning sensations where prolonged exposure
may cause severe rashes and chemical burns.
When the agent reaches the eyes the chemicals begin to react differently as the body begins
to send signals to the brain, activating its natural defences sending out a flood of tears
to wash out the irritant.
This is where tear gas actually got its name.
In severe cases, tear gas victims may experience temporary blindness especially when exposed
to the chemicals for a prolonged period of time.
The chemical compounds in tear gas also have irritating effects to the respiratory system.
When inhaled, the substance kicks the immune system into hyper-drive as the body begins
to produce mucous and induces the person to cough and retch in order to keep the irritants
out of the body and expel any that have entered.
In severe cases, the respiratory system becomes irritated that a person will find himself
or herself having difficulty breathing and his upper respiratory tract tensing up.
However, the damage done by tear gas is, generally, not permanent.
Hours after exposure, the body goes back to normal as the effects subside.
In rare cases where people are in constant, prolonged exposure to the chemicals – especially
those who get severe allergic reactions to certain types of chemicals and substances
– they may develop irreversible damage to the eyes such as glaucoma.
Even worse is death when the substance cause serious chemical burns inside the respiratory
system that leads to cardiac arrest; such was the case of a Palestinian woman in 2011
when she had prolonged exposure to tear gas during a protest at the West Bank.
TEMPORARY RELIEF In the news, people have been photographed
pouring milk over their eyes and faces to alleviate the stinging pain from tear gas.
It has been claimed by many that this home-made remedy has helped in getting rid of the effects
of the lacrimatory agent.
In the protest at Ferguson, demonstrators have been seen entering a local McDonald’s
and having milk poured all over their faces.
Activists from Gaza and Israel, on the other hand, combat the fierce effects of tear gas
by washing their faces with cola.
Whatever the method, it would seem that there is an unspoken truth that you should not use
water to wash-off tear gas because not only does it have no effect but it may also increase
the irritation.
Several methods have been shared by people online.
In a flier published by individuals who were part of the 2011 Occupy Movement, they advised
people to use antacids dissolved in water to relieve the body of the effects of the
chemicals.
However, the US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, and the New York
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene hands out much detailed advice on relieving onseself
of the effect of tear gas.
Contrary to popular opinion, these two departments advise individuals who have been affected
by tear gas to wash their eyes with clean water as soon as possible for at least fifteen
minutes in order to completely wash off harmful chemicals.
If the gas has been inhaled, individuals are advised to get out of the affected area immediately
and seek fresh air, breathing in and out, getting as much oxygen as possible.
In cases where medics are present, these professionals may administer asthma medication in order
to help the air passages especially in severe cases.
If tear gas happens to enter through the mouth and ingested, individuals should drink plenty
of water and, if they can, induce vomiting and seek immediate medical attention.
Clothes that have been doused with the chemicals should be washed separately from un-contaminated
clothing and avoid using chlorine-based detergents to prevent harmful chemical reactions that
may mix with CS compounds.
THE LEGALITY OF TEAR GAS While tear gas is considered non-lethal, there
are laws surrounding and controlling the use of the substance.
According to the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993, tear gas is strictly banned in warfare
but, in cases where domestic riots are concerned, it is perfectly legal to employ it.
However, one expert pointed out the paradox of the legality of tear gas use.
In a statement made by Sven-Eric Jordt, a Yale University School of Medicine Nerve Gas
expert, he says that “Tear gas under the Geneva Convention is characterized as a chemical
warfare agent, and so it is precluded for use in warfare, but it is used very frequently
against civilians.
That’s very illogical.”