What Tear Gas and Rubber Bullets Do to the Human Body

A survey of 2014 in the US military has also found that exposure to tear gas and pepper spray Make people weak for breathing infection Exposure compared with the previous week of exposure. During basic training, the army employees who came in contact with gas gas were very likely to develop respiratory illness like influenza, pneumonia or bronchitis. The research and others organized the suspension of the use of tear gas and other chemical agents during the protests of the American Thoracic Society in 2021. There was an concern that their use could increase the chances of becoming ill with Covid -10.

“The science used to justify the use of tear gas is outdated,” Duke University School of Medicine’s Anthaciology, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology Associate Professor Soven-Errik Jordt, who assisted the author of the American Thoracic Society’s recommendation.

Most studies of health effects that come into contact with tear gas and other chemical agents are based on military research conducted on young, healthy men in the 1950s, ’60s and in the 70s. He says that these studies do not address the potential health effects of the broad civilian population. They also do not even consider the more advanced introductory technologies developed in recent years, allowing the installation of tear gas in a much longer than the long distance.

In some cases, the effects of these agents are not because of the chemicals themselves. “People may be injured when they were in contact with the canister used to spread gas, and it may include a trauma or burnt injury,” Calello said. In Los Angeles, Federal Agents The news reports that hard plastic pepper balls are shotProtesters are also known as spray projectil to the protesters.

Injuries can also occur from blunt-tappod rubber bullets. Their name is somewhat confusing, Rohini Har says, an emergency physician and physician adviser to the Physician for Human Rights, Rohini Har, said that many rubber bullets are actually made of hard plastic or foam and some have metallic origin.

“They are not fatal if they are used to be seriously used in the UC Berkeley. “Many of them, there are many examples of death, and there can be a lot of trauma even if they don’t enter the skin.” The biggest anxiety is if these projectiles hurt the neck or face, especially in the eye. Rubber bullets have occurred that blindness, injury brain injury and deformation and other regions of the body are less seriously seriously.

Ay Study 2017 Har and his colleagues found that about 3 percent of the people were injured by a bullet of rubber died due to injury, and 15 percent of the studying 1,984 were permanently injured. Ay 2020 analysis Published by physicians for human rights and by the rate, law enforcement officials were injured in the first two months of the US protest in response to George Floyd’s police murder in response to the police murder of George Floyd with their rubber and plastic bullets at least five head injuries.

In 2020, the American Academy of Ophoyology urged domestic law enforcement officials Finish using rubber bullets And similar projectilles to control or spread the crowd of protesters.

If you come in contact with tear gas or pepper spray tear, experts advise to move away as soon as possible, look for higher ground and to cover your face and nose. When this is possible, remove the contaminated clothing and rinse with plenty of soap and water. If serious symptoms are felt, take care of the immediate treatment.

If you plan to participate in a protest, consider wearing closed-footed shoes and long sleeves. Eye protection and N95 face masks can also help less exposure.