Tear Gas and Pepper Spray 03
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TEAR GAS TIMELINE The scientific Eyes respond to the 1914 — Battle of the Frontiers, France term for tear gas chemicals by producing Soldiers fighting in WWI are the first to fire tear gas is ‘lachrymatory tears to wash them out. grenades into German trenches. agent’ because 1928 — Middlebury College, USA the chemicals it Tear gas is not a gas. Chemists Ben Corson and Roger Stoughton discover a contains result in The chemicals are solids new type of tear gas. It’s named CS after their initials. tears. However, the dispersed in a thick fog. name ‘tear gas’ is 1936 — The British Empire misleading. The Collectively tear gas and Government grants the police permission to use tear harm it causes can pepper spray are called gas on civilians. be more extensive: Riot Control Agents (RCAs). 1950s — Porton Down, Britain Government secretly test tear gas on animals, and on soldiers without their permission. 1971 — Derry, Northern Ireland In a review of CS tear gas use in Northern Ireland, the PEPPER SPRAY Himsworth Committee test the weapon as if it were a drug, and publish a report declaring it safe for use on civilians. Pepper spray Cause inflammation contains the and severe pain in the 1987 — Washington, USA organic chemical eyes, nose, and mouth. The FBI start to use pepper spray. International forces capsaicin; a follow their example. natural ingredient Rank higher on the 1993 — International taken from Chili Scoville scale than the The Chemical Weapons Convention states that soldiers peppers. Some hottest chili pepper. can’t use RCAs during war. contain synthetic alternatives. These 2011 — International Are often mixed with chemicals: Police use RCAs against civilians during the ‘Arab Spring’ alcohol and anti-freeze. and Occupy protests. INTRODUCTION EFFECTS ON THE BODY From Brazil to Brussels, humane. However, they have Left: 01 06 07 Thailand to the Occupied resulted in injury, death, and 01. Panic 02 Territories of Palestine, human rights violations. 02. Vomit 03 04 08 tear gas and pepper spray 03. Sore throat are used on civilians. Anyone can be hurt by tear 04. Heart attack 05 gas or pepper spray. People 05. Stomach ache 09 Banned from war but at greater risk include the Right: permitted for use by the young, old, asthmatics, 06. Burning eyes police, these so-called epileptics, and those with 07. Painful nose ‘less lethal’ weapons are a weak heart or lung 08. Short breath marketed as safe and complications. 09. Diarrhoea Design by Minute Works Minute by Design PEPPER SPRAY PEPPER @RiotID #RiotID AND GAS TEAR WWW.RIOTID.COM 29 DISPERSAL 28 RCAs can be fired, thrown, 27 or sprayed from: 01 07 01. Backpacks 02. Hand Grenades 26 03. Bouncing Grenades 04. Grenades that split apart 25 05. Aerosol cans 06. Pepper Balls 24 07. Single Launchers 08. Multiple Launchers 09. High Pressure, Vehicle 08 23 Mounted Water Cannons 22 02 03 21 20 09 19 04 05 06 18 17 16 15 14 VARIABLES DANGERS AND ENVIRONMENT 13 RCAs should not be used: RCAs can be fatal. This risk increases when: 12 Too much is used It’s used against In closed Inside in a confined babies or the rooms vehicles 11 space elderly 10 On people On people Canisters/ Panic results in who have been who can’t get grenades explode accidental harm locked-up to fresh air in the hand 09 On people A canister/ Exploding canis- Once the use-by 08 who have been grenade is fired ters/grenades date has passed restrained at a person start a fire 07 RCAs spread quickly. Their effects depend on: Low doses of toxic RCAs can cause harm to/kill: 06 Amount of chemi- Weather 05 cals released into Birds Cats conditions the air 04 Proximity of Level of access people to the Dogs Crops and soil 03 to open spaces chemicals 02 After the use-by date has expired, tear gas and pepper spray Read more: www.inclo.net/issues/lethal-in-disguise become hazardous waste and must be safely destroyed. 01 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20.