Tear gas , officially known as lachrymator agent or lachrymator (from Latin lacrima >, meaning "tears"), sometimes colloquially known as mace , is a chemical weapon that causes severe eye and respiratory pain, skin irritation, bleeding, and even blindness. In the eye, it stimulates the lacrimal gland nerve to produce tears. Common lachrymators include pepper spray (OC gas), PAVA spray (nonivamid), CS gas, CR gas, CN gas (phenacyl chloride), bromoacetone, xylyl bromide, syn-propanethial-S-oxide (from onions), and Mace branded mix).
Lachrymatory agents are usually used to control riots. Their use in warfare is prohibited by international treaties. During World War I, increasingly toxic lethren agents were used.
Video Tear gas
Effects
Tears of "gas" consist of aerosol solid compounds, not gases. Tear gas works by irritating the mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, mouth and lungs, and causes crying, sneezing, coughing, difficulty in breathing, eye pain, and temporary blindness. With CS gas, irritant symptoms usually appear after 20-60 seconds of exposure and usually disappear within 30 minutes after leaving (or removed from) the area. With pepper spray (also called "oleoresin capsicum", capsaicinoid or OC gas), the onset of symptoms, including loss of motor control, is almost immediate. There are many variations in tolerance and response, according to the National Research Committee (US) on Toxicology.
The California Poison Control System analyzed 3,671 reports of pepper spray injuries between 2002 and 2011. Severe symptoms requiring medical evaluation were found in 6.8% of people, with the most severe eye injury (54%), respiratory system (32%) and skin (18 %). The most severe injuries occur in law enforcement training, deliberately paralyzing people, and law enforcement (either individual or mass control).
Lachrymators are considered to act by attacking the functional group of sulfhidril in enzymes. One of the most likely protein targets is the TRPA1 ion channel expressed in the sensory nerve (trigeminal nerve) of the eyes, nose, mouth and lungs.
Risks
Like all non-lethal, or less lethal, weapons, there is some risk of serious permanent injury or death when tear gas is used. These include the risk of exposure to tear gas cartridges, which include severe bruising, vision loss, skull fracture, and even death. A case of serious vascular injury from a tear gas shell has also been reported from Iran, with high rates of associated nerve injury (44%) and amputation (17%), as well as cases of head injury in young people.
While the medical consequences of the gas itself are usually limited to mild skin inflammation, delayed complications are also possible: people with pre-existing breathing conditions such as asthma, who are very risky, tend to need medical care and sometimes require hospitalization. or even ventilation support. Skin exposure to CS can cause chemical burns or cause allergic contact dermatitis. When people are beaten at close range or highly exposed, eye injuries involving scarring of the cornea can result in permanent loss of visual acuity. Frequent or high levels of exposure carry an increased risk of respiratory illness.
Expires
Reports of expired tear gas canisters taken by protesters in Egypt led to theories that it could be more toxic, but Steve Wright of Leeds Metropolitan University said if enough time has passed that chemicals have been damaged in the cans, then it makes the tube less effective. However, a study conducted by MÃÆ'³nica KrÃÆ'¤uter, a professor of the University of SimÃÆ'³n BolÃÆ'var, Venezuela, collected thousands of tear gas canisters fired by Venezuelan authorities in 2014, showing that 72% of the tear gas used has expired and notes that expired tear gas "Breaks down into highly dangerous cyanide oxides, phosgene and nitrogens".
Maps Tear gas
Use
Warfare
The use of tear gas in war (like all other chemical weapons) is prohibited by international agreements signed by most countries. Police and personal defense use are not prohibited in the same way. The armed forces can legally use tear gas for practice (practice with gas masks) and to control the riots. First used in 1914, xylyl bromide is a popular tearing material because it is easy to prepare.
The US Chemical Warfare Service developed tear gas grenades for use in rioting control in 1919.
Control of the riot
Certain lachrymatory agents are often used by police to force compliance, especially tear gas. In some countries (eg, Ã, Finland, Australia, and the United States), another common substance is the mace. Self defense weapons in the form of mace are based on pepper spray, and come in small spray cans, and versions including CS are produced for police use. Xylyl bromide, CN and CS are the oldest of these agents, and CS is the most widely used. CN has the most recorded toxicity. Exposure to tear gas is standard in Australia for military training programs, police and prisons.
Typical manufacturer warning about tear gas emergency "Hazard: Do not shoot directly to others Wounds or severe deaths can occur." Such warnings are not always respected, and in some countries, harassing these warnings is routine. In the 2013 protests in Turkey, there were hundreds of injuries among targeted demonstrators with tear gas projectiles. In Israeli-occupied territories, Israeli soldiers are routinely documented by Israeli human rights groups in firing tear gas canisters directly into activists, some of which result in fatalities. Amnesty International criticized the use of teargas by Venezuelan authorities who recorded canisters fired directly into individuals, causing the death of at least one demonstrator, while also being shot into a residential building.
However, tear gas weapons do not have manual settings to adjust the fire range. The only way to adjust the projectile range is to aim toward the ground at the correct angle. The wrong goal will send the capsule away from the target, causing the risk to non-target instead. For example, this occurred during the 2013 protests in Brazil, the Hong Kong Protest 2014, and the 2014 and 2017 protests in Venezuela.
Reply steps
Various protective equipment can be used, including gas masks and respirators. In situations of riot control, protesters sometimes use equipment (other than simple cloth or clothing above the mouth) such as adjustable swim goggles and water bottles.
It has been suggested that "The use of masks that filter solid particles is effective, if and only if, the membrane successfully captures particles of a size smaller than 60 microns".
Activists in the United States, Czech Republic, Venezuela and Turkey have reported using an antacid solution such as water-diluted Maalox to repel the effects of tear gas strikes with Venezuelan chemist MÃÆ'³nica KrÃÆ'¤uter recommending the use of diluted antacids and baking soda. There are also reports of these antacids that help for tear gas, and for capsaicin-induced skin pain.
Treatment
There is no special antidote for common tear gas. Cleaning the gas and becoming fresh air is the first action. Removing contaminated clothing and avoiding use with contaminated towels can help reduce skin reactions. The direct removal of contact lenses has also been recommended, as they can retain particles.
Once a person is exposed, there are various methods to remove as much chemicals and relieve symptoms. The first aid standard for burning solutions in the eye is irrigation (spraying or flushing out) with water. There have been reports that water may increase the pain of CS gas, but the balance of current limited evidence suggests water or salt is the best option. Some evidence suggests that the Diphoterine solution, the first aid product for chemical splashing, can help with ocular burns or chemicals in the eye.
Bathing and washing the body with vigor with soap and water can remove particles attached to the skin while clothing, shoes and accessories that come into contact with the steam should be washed well since all untreated particles can remain active for up to a week. Some supporters use a fan or hair dryer to vaporize the spray, but this has not proved better than washing the eyes and can spread contamination.
Anticholinergics can work like some Antihistamines because they reduce lacrymation, reduce saliva, because they act as antisialagogue and for overall nasal discomfort because they are used to treat allergic reactions in the nose (eg, itching, runny nose, and sneezing)
Oral analgesics can help relieve eye pain.
Home restoration
Vinegar, petroleum jelly, milk and lemon juice solution have also been used by activists. It is not clear how effective this solution is. In particular, the vinegar itself can burn the eyes and prolonged inhalation can also irritate the airways. Although vegetable oil and vinegar have also been reported to help relieve the burning caused by pepper spray, Krauter does not recommend the use of vinegar, toothpaste or menthol cream, stating that "they trap particles derived from gas near the airways and make them more feasible to inhale". Small trials of baby shampoo to wash the eyes show no benefit whatsoever.
See also
- Baton (law enforcement)
- Nerve gas
- Rubber bullets
Note
References
Further reading
- Feigenbaum, Anna (2016). Tear Gas: From World War I Warfare to Today's Roads . New York and London: Verso. ISBN: 978-1-784-78026-5. Ã,
External links
- BBC information about CS gas
- How to combat CS gas at eco-action.org
- BrÃÆ'Â'ne, B; et al. (September 1, 2008). "Tear gas CN, CR, and CS are potent activators of human TRPA1 receptors". Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology . 231 (2): 150-6. doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2008.04.005. PMID 18501939.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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