Tear Gas is more dangerous than most realise

[Still Waters 50,948]

The laws that govern the use of tear gas are downright illogical, argue human rights advocates.

The very same "riot control agents" recently deployed against citizens in Hong Kong, the United States, Chile, Turkey, Nepal, Greece, France, India, Lebanon and South Africa (not to mention many more) have been banned from international warfare under the Chemical Weapons Convention for decades.

A new report from researchers at the University of Toronto argues it's high time we amend the rules - particularly as the use of tear gas could contribute to the spread of COVID-19.

The sale and trade of tear gas worldwide is largely unregulated, and as a result, it's often not clear what chemicals exist in each canister, how toxic these chemicals are, or even whether they've been safety tested beforehand, the researchers explain.

https://www.sciencealert.com/tear-gas-is-so-often-abused-it-should-be-banned-researchers-argue

[seanjo 6,578]

I got gassed at least once a year during my RAF days, it's uncomfortable but clears your sinuses no problem...

[Eldorado 55,573]

5 minutes ago, seanjo said:

I got gassed at least once a year during my RAF days, it's uncomfortable but clears your sinuses no problem...

What were you protesting about?

[seanjo 6,578]

4 minutes ago, Eldorado said:

What were you protesting about?

Being gassed...

 

It's part of your annual ground defence training, you go over weapons safety, go down the range, get various lectures on stuff and part of all of that is NBC training culminating in a trip to the gas chamber to go through decontamination drills and show how good your kit is (gas mask etc.) to give you confidence, of course at the end, you have to unmask get a whiff and repeat your name and number before exiting the chamber.

Edited September 7, 2020 by seanjo

[Cookie Monster 8,030]

55 minutes ago, Eldorado said:

What were you protesting about?

When you join the police or armed forces then because tear gas might be deployed by them to manage an unruly mob you need desensitising to it and training in its use. They also do petrol bomb training too where they chuck firebombs at you in your full riot gear.

[Wepwawet 1,681]

This is one of those instances were you see a news item and you know it is concocted by people who are either genuinely ignorant, or, more likely, presuming ignorance on the part of the sheeple. In the UK alone there will be, apart from those still in service, many hundreds of thousands of those who have gone through the training and know exactly what CS is about. We also know about military grade nerve agents, and other nasties, and how they are delivered and what the symptoms are, so may well have a different opinion on the Skripal case to what we are told, but that's a can of political worms, not "nerve agent"....

['Walt' E. Kurtz 6,824]

I already knew that it's more dangerous than you think. 

[XenoFish 106,561]

Might as well just switch out the tear gas for mustard gas.