Natural Methods for Treating Exposure to Tear Gas

We live in a time where donning a mask for virus protection and tear gas protection is a hard reality. For those taking part in the protests, masks are an important part of your outfit! Why? Yes, there is a nasty pandemic underway, but that’s just one reason.

While a majority of the protests taking place around the country have been peaceful, others have been met with aggression and violence from police who wind up using everything from rubber bullets to batons to tear gas to quell the spirit of the protesters. These are all incredibly harsh and unnecessary steps, yet the worst out of the bunch would have to be tear gas. Not because it’s actually the worst of the methods, but mostly because tear gas is meant to target pain receptors in your body. This mixture of chemicals is actually designed to cause pain instead of irritation. This is terrifying! But it shouldn’t deter you from getting out in the streets and letting your voice be heard.

Before you head out the door, make sure you know how to protect yourself and what to do if you’ve been exposed to tear gas! From what to wear to what to bring to what first aid you can employ, here are some tips and tricks to making your protest experience (somewhat) tear gas safe!

What is Tear Gas?

qimono/Pixabay

You’ve seen it on the news and maybe you’ve even experienced it in real life, but do you know what tear gas actually is?

First off, the name is quite deceiving as tear gas isn’t actually gas. Tear gas is a pressurized powder made from a “collection of chemicals that cause skin, respiratory, and eye irritation,” which is usually “deployed from canisters, grenades, or pressurized sprays” at which time it becomes a mist.

There are a variety of types of tear gas, the most common being 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile and the others are “oleoresin capsicum (pepper spray), dibenzoxazepine (CR gas), and chloroacetophenone (CN gas).”

While tear gas is actually “illegal for wartime use” it is legal to use for riots and protests.

What Happens When You’re Exposed to Tear Gas?

The reason why tear gas is so effective is that it causes pain. While tear gas causes “irritation of the respiratory system, eyes, and skin” the gas also binds “with one of the two pain receptors called TRPA1 and TRPV1.” To give you an idea, TRPA1 is the “pain receptor that the oils in mustard, wasabi, and horseradish bind to give them their strong flavors.” Have you ever mistakenly (or on purpose) taken a huge bite of wasabi? That burning, painful sensation is somewhat the same as the pain experienced during tear gas, except that “CS and CR gas are more than 10,000 times more potent than the oil found in these vegetables.”

There is a laundry list of symptoms that come from tear gas exposure including temporary blindness, blurry vision, hemorrhages, nerve damage, cataracts, choking, chest tightness, nausea, vomiting, respiratory failure, coughing, itching, blisters, allergic dermatitis, and even chemical burns.

5 Methods to Protect Yourself from Tear Gas

BruceEmmerling/Pixabay

Even though tear gas is incredibly toxic and irritating, there are ways to protect yourself! By following a few basic guidelines and bringing protective gear with you to a protest you can take the tear gas hit and keep on marching. Not only do you allow yourself the opportunity to continue to protest, but you also protect yourself from serious, irreversible damage.

1. Sealing Safety Goggles

Protecting your eyes from tear gas is a must! Yes, it’s just as important to protect yourself from inhaling tear gas, but if you can keep your eyes clear and free then you are more likely to find safety and first aid if you come in contact with tear gas.

While you may simply want to wear your regular prescription glasses or sunglasses, unfortunately, tear gas can easily slip around the edges. They don’t provide the protection necessary to keep your eyes free and clear. Therefore, it’s important to invest in a high-quality pair of sealing goggles, meaning they actually seal to the skin on your face around your eyes, such as these Honeywell Store Uvex S3400X Flex Seal Safety Goggles for $18.00 or these DEWALT Concealer Clear Anti-Fog Dual Safety Goggle for $15.90.

2. Total Skin Coverage

Along with complete coverage of your eyes, it’s a good idea to wear complete coverage clothing! This means from top to bottom including a hat, face mask or face bandana, long sleeve shirt, neck bandana or turtleneck, long Pants, and full coverage footwear, such as boots or tennis shoes. On top of choosing full coverage clothes, it’s also important to make sure your clothes won’t trap the chemicals in tear gas. This means make sure to wash your protesting specific clothes in “detergent-free and unscented soap,” which will avoid clinging tear gas.

3. Avoid Skincare that Traps Chemicals

Protection is both about what to wear and what not to wear. In this case, it’s recommended to avoid “the use of oils, lotions, and detergents because they can trap the chemicals and thereby prolong exposure.” This means before you head out to the protest make sure to rinse your skin and hair with “detergent-free and unscented soap.” Make the right choices for skin protection as well such as water or alcohol-based sunscreen.

4. Gas Mask

If you find yourself at protests on a fairly regular basis, especially larger protests, then investing in an actual gas mask may be the way to go. Gas masks are the best way to protect yourself from chemical-laden tear gas! These masks generally consist of a “rubber mask with a canister and filter fitted to the side” and the entirety has been fitted to your specific face.

A couple of things! Gas masks are not cheap, unfortunately. They can range from the low end — such as this M04 Airsoft Tactical Protective Mask for $30.49 — to the higher end — such as this Israeli Gas Mask and Straw with NATO Specifications for $169.99. Of course, if you plan on attending protests on a regular basis, then this is a good tool to have. Also, make sure to keep a spare canister with you, “as they do need changing after several hours.”

5. Escape Hood

Last, but definitely not least, is the protector of all protector, the escape hood! If you’re an avid protestor, but also have preexisting respiratory conditions, then you “have a higher risk of developing severe symptoms [from tear gas] such as respiratory failure.” Therefore, an escape hood may be an essential item for you!

Escape hoods are meant to “provide the wearer with short-time protection, in conditions where chemicals or smoke is present, by blocking it from your eyes or skin and restricting you from inhaling the damaging particles.” While escape hoods are generally used in emergency situations, they are also perfect to wear at a protest where tear gas (or even pepper spray!) may possibly be used. Especially for those protestors with respiratory conditions!

First Aid Methods for Tear Gas Exposure

ivabalk/Pixabay

When it comes to first aid that treats tear gas, there are lots of myths out there. For instance, a wetted bandana over your mouth will simply make it harder to breathe and won’t protect you from the chemicals. The same rule of thumb goes for soaking a bandana or face mask in lime or vinegar. It’s a myth and won’t work! Also, skip packing a freshly cut onion. Sniffing a freshly cut onion will only make your eyes water more!

The unfortunate truth is that there is no antidote for exposure, therefore it’s all about treating the symptoms as best as possible.

Here are a few steps you can take to help alleviate the symptoms of tear gas exposure.

Clean, Clean, Clean!

The most important step if you’ve been exposed to tear gas is to get clean. Unfortunately, this does generally require you to leave the protest.

Tear gas “will impregnate clothing for many months, so any clothing that may have been contaminated should be immediately washed several times or [even] discarded.” If you’ve been tear-gassed, get home, remove all of your clothes, and wash them immediately. Jump in the shower and rinse off for at least 20 minutes using soap.

Flush Your Eyes

If your eyes have been affected, it’s important to make sure you flush them with cold water. On that note, make sure never to wear contacts when you’re heading to a protest. Contacts can actually trap the chemicals. Therefore, if you’re wearing contacts, take them out first! If you have access, the US Army and the manufacturers of CS gas “both recommend flushing eyes with … saline.”

The best way to get this taken care of on the protest route is to bring a sterilized squeeze bottle that’s all set to go for flushing your eyes out. Make sure to get to high ground — tear gas settles low — and away from any further tear gas exposure before flushing your eyes.

Gauze for Burns

If you’re unlucky enough to experience severe exposure to tear gas, you may develop chemical burns. While a hospital is the best place to go for actual first aid, in the meantime make sure you’ve packed that sterilized squeeze bottle and some “sterile gauze bandage (not fluffy cotton) or a clean cloth.” Begin by flushing the burn with the squeeze bottle for as long as the squeeze bottle lasts or 10 minutes, whichever comes first. Next, loosely wrap the burn with the gauze or clean cloth. Make sure not to apply any pressure!

Once you’ve tended to the burn, get yourself to a hospital for actual medical care!

Related Articles

Looking to find out more information about the protests? Here are a few articles to get you linked in and hooked up with current events.

• Data Shows Protests Aren’t Responsible for Coronavirus Case Increases
• Protests Against Police Brutality Continue in Full Force Across the Country
• Health Experts Warn Tear Gas is Dangerous to Use on Protestors Due to Increased Risk of Coronavirus

For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter! Lastly, being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!