You’re going to want to read the full article to get the full explanation and details, but here are some key details.
Contrary to its name, CS gas—the technical name for tear gas—is actually a crystalline powder that is converted into a fine spray and propelled from a grenade or canister by a small pyrotechnic explosion. This chemical was first developed in 1928 by American scientists, and after years of studies, it eventually became a weapon widely used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. Nowadays, tear gas is part of the crowd control arsenal of police and law enforcement agencies around the world, because it’s an easy way to disperse masses without the use of direct force.
“People just assume it’s safe, [but] it’s important to know that these weapons actually do cause injuries,” says Dr. Rohini Haar, an emergency physician, and a research fellow at the Human Rights Center at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.
When you’re exposed to tear gas, your eyes sting, your vision blurs, and you cry and blink uncontrollably. It gets worse the longer you’re in the gas: After a few seconds, you won’t be able to see, which will disorient and confuse you, potentially to the point of emotional and psychological distress.
But that’s not all. The powder also irritates your airways, making it hard to breathe, and causes your chest to tighten.
Before exposure: be ready
- Wear a scarf or bandana.
- Cover your head.
- Always wear goggles.
- Cover as much of your skin as possible.
- Carry your things on your back.
- Don’t forget your water.
- Makeup. (If you are tear-gassed and you’re wearing eyeliner on your waterline, the powder will stick there.)
- Contact lenses (…imagine having tear gas powder trapped between your contacts and your eyeballs.)
During exposure: don’t panic
…Even though most people report mostly manageable levels of pain and irritation, tear gas exposure can be a real problem for vulnerable people (children, the elderly, and pregnant women) and those with asthma or any sort of respiratory condition.
How to put out tear gas canisters
The traffic cone method
The principle is simple: cover a canister with a traffic cone to stop the spread of the gas, and use the opening at the top of the cone to pour water in it and put the fire in the canister out.
The water bottle technique
There are reports of people experiencing second degree burns when coming into direct contact with them. But the Hong Kong protesters figured it out: they used thick, heat-resistant leather gloves to pick up the canisters, put them inside metal water bottles, and shake them thoroughly until the fire in the canister was completely out.
After exposure:
countermeasures and getting rid of the powder
Hong Kong protesters carry around spray bottles with a baking soda and water solution (three teaspoons of powder for every 8.5 ounces of liquid), which they spray in their face and mouth to neutralize the effects of tear gas particles… [This is] the only home-made countermeasure that may have some sort of scientific back-up.
Read the whole article, it’s worth it.
https://www.popsci.com/story/diy/tear-gas-guide/