Tear gas: a chemical weapon that must be banned
Jay | 25.03.2007 12:15 | Anti-militarism | Health | Repression | World
A 'must-read' report from Nobel Peace prize winning organisation Physicians for Social Responsibility
This is a 'must-read' report from Nobel Peace prize winning organisation Physicians for Social Responsibility [ 
http://www.psrla.org ] into the serious and long-lasting chronic health effects of Tear Gas deployed by the US government in Seattle during the WTO protests in 1999.
http://www.psrla.org/documents/wto_report.pdf
Compiled by Medical Doctors, according to the report the deployment "constituted the single largest deployment of chemical weapons in the history of North America".
Tear gas is used against civilian populations by 'democratic' regimes the world over, with little care for the consequences or the injuries it might cause. As an airborne agent, tear gas and its sister chemicals, are all highly toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic weapons of collective punishment, which are frequently used indiscriminately against law-abiding protesters and civilians alike, and whose incapicitating, often injurious effects, spread far beyond the proximity of their initial deployment.
Of perhaps even greater concern, is the fact that the paint thinning/varnish stripping solvent which is used to disperse the gases, methylene chloride has been documented in several dozen medical studies as causing a variety of serious illnesses including "liver and kidney damage, lung tumours, cell mutations and birth defects".
In 1969, eighty countries voted to include tear gas as among the agents banned for use in war under the Geneva protocol. In a glaring and bizarre anomaly however, these substances were not banned for use domestically.
Consequently, these chemical weapons are included within the arsenal of civilian control agents in Britain as well as the USA too. Another harassing agent deemed 'non-damaging' and routinely carried by British police officers, the inoccuous sounding pepper spray, has caused proven fatalities abroad in people suffering from pre-existing respiratory complaints.
Alongside the US, other governments with a track record of deploying tear-gas against civilian populations include South Korea and Israel. Even today Palestinian populations within Israel and independent human rights observers helping alleviate suffering in the region are regularly and systematically subjected to attacks by these chemical weapons.
Another report well worth reading is 'Tear Gas: Harassing Agent or
Toxic Chemical Weapon?' which appeared in The Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol 262, No 5, August 4 1989)
http://www.zarc.com/english/tear_gases/jamateargastoxic.html
Please write to your elected representatives and demand the removal of these chemical weapons from the arsenal of your government and local law enforcement agencies:
http://www.writetothem.com/
http://www.psrla.org ] into the serious and long-lasting chronic health effects of Tear Gas deployed by the US government in Seattle during the WTO protests in 1999. http://www.psrla.org/documents/wto_report.pdf Compiled by Medical Doctors, according to the report the deployment "constituted the single largest deployment of chemical weapons in the history of North America".
Tear gas is used against civilian populations by 'democratic' regimes the world over, with little care for the consequences or the injuries it might cause. As an airborne agent, tear gas and its sister chemicals, are all highly toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic weapons of collective punishment, which are frequently used indiscriminately against law-abiding protesters and civilians alike, and whose incapicitating, often injurious effects, spread far beyond the proximity of their initial deployment.
Of perhaps even greater concern, is the fact that the paint thinning/varnish stripping solvent which is used to disperse the gases, methylene chloride has been documented in several dozen medical studies as causing a variety of serious illnesses including "liver and kidney damage, lung tumours, cell mutations and birth defects".
In 1969, eighty countries voted to include tear gas as among the agents banned for use in war under the Geneva protocol. In a glaring and bizarre anomaly however, these substances were not banned for use domestically.
Consequently, these chemical weapons are included within the arsenal of civilian control agents in Britain as well as the USA too. Another harassing agent deemed 'non-damaging' and routinely carried by British police officers, the inoccuous sounding pepper spray, has caused proven fatalities abroad in people suffering from pre-existing respiratory complaints.
Alongside the US, other governments with a track record of deploying tear-gas against civilian populations include South Korea and Israel. Even today Palestinian populations within Israel and independent human rights observers helping alleviate suffering in the region are regularly and systematically subjected to attacks by these chemical weapons.
Another report well worth reading is 'Tear Gas: Harassing Agent or
Toxic Chemical Weapon?' which appeared in The Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol 262, No 5, August 4 1989)
http://www.zarc.com/english/tear_gases/jamateargastoxic.html Please write to your elected representatives and demand the removal of these chemical weapons from the arsenal of your government and local law enforcement agencies:
http://www.writetothem.com/
Jay
Comments
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tear gas kill!
25.03.2007 15:00
typical 'tear gas' acid burn day 10, zurich 2002
during the vietnam war alone (the u.s. ratified the convention banning it only after the war was over) the bertrand russel tribunal counted almost 700 casualties. the next big figure probably stems from palestine, but casualties are spread all around the globe, many also from inside u.s. prisons.
the most common cause of death is pulmonary emphysema after inhaling the particles, and this is frequently underestimated cause the symptoms take several days to develop, and when they're in full effect it's already way too late. so if you or anybody you know experiences brathing problems after exposure, don't hesitate seeking proper (!) medical treatment immediately!!!
in germany, also a cop died from 'tear gas', and after an army instructor had died of lymph node cancer (morbus hodgkins), an insurance court officially declared this was caused by 'tear gas', which he was handling regularly for the common gas mask test drill procedures.
even amongst activists it's also little known that in most modern water cannons, at a fingertip the water can be laced with a 'tear gas' mixture. the effects are drastic and also mostly underestimated cause again they take several days to develop as can be seen here:
but also from small 'chemical mace' sprays the very same effects are known, as this case from the uk illustrates:
PigBrother.info
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Tear gas questions...
25.03.2007 16:20
M
Tear Gas in the UK.
28.03.2007 00:31
Generally the use of teargas has fallen out of favour in crowd control situations because it is a fantastic way of turning a controllable stand off into an uncontrollable "firefight". That and the fact many activists have now cottoned on to wearing gas masks.
In terms of the handheld pepper spray that officers carry it can be used at the officers discretion in the same way they can use thier baton or compliance blows. As a result it can be deployed quite liberally at demo's. The Met police are generally very restrained in it's but I have been to demo's with other forces where it has been advisible to wear safety goggles.
Also a quick blast with water from a sports bottle normally washes pepper spray off quite quickly.
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