The Truth About Tear Gas

Photo: Patch.com

Tear gas is classified as a chemical weapon that affects the eyes and upper respiratory system. It can cause irritation, coughing, a trouble breathing. Although it is widely used in America to disperse crowds, it is illegal in international war. The Chemical Weapons Convention in 1993 banned tear gas, among other things.

Tear gas was first used in World War I. Thousands of people did in fact die from the use of this substance during that time. Over time, the compound for tear gas has changed and modern tear gas according to Encyclopedia Britannica, is typically either “ω-chloroacetophenone, or CN, and o-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile, or CS. CN is the principal component of the aerosol agent Mace and is widely used in riot control. It affects chiefly the eyes. CS is a stronger irritant that causes burning sensations in the respiratory tract and involuntary closing of the eyes, but its effects wear off more quickly, after only 5 to 10 minutes of breathing fresh air”.

Regardless of which kind is used, tear gas can cause long term issues and in rare cases, be lethal. A physician with Physicians for Human Rights explains that tear gas “can also cause chemical burns, allergic reactions, corneal injury, and respiratory distress, as well as blunt force trauma if the person is directly hit by the canister”. The physician also tells of a time where they were treating a patient that had been maced and while they were treating the patient, they began to have a burning sensation on their skin and in their eyes.

Tear gas can be so harmful that it is even hurting the healthcare workers of the world. It is no wonder that this substance has been banned in war. There is a lot of controversy in whether the use of this is ethical but it is clear that using this is harming not only the protestors, but the healthcare workers as well.

This past weeks has seen the police in America use tear gas over and over again, intentionally harming peaceful protestors. In Philadelphia for example, the police trapped peaceful protestors on the sides of the road and then shot tear gas into where they were. The protestors were trapped and had nowhere to go yet the police still felt the need to harm them with this chemical weapon.

It is clear that the police, all across the country, have been escalating the violence and resorting to unnecessary force against protestors.

I have hyperlinked all of my sources.