Tear Gas Temporarily Affects Lung Health

A new study reveals that tear gas can have a temporary impact on the lung health of a person.

Tear gas, used during riots as a control agent, is the name used for the chemicals that include chloroacetophenone (CN), chlorobenzylidenemalonoitrile (CS) and dibenzoxazepine (CR, according to the New York City Department of Health's Website (NYC DOH) . These chemicals trigger temporary irritation of the mouth, throat, eyes and skin. According to the NYCDOH, these effects wither 30-60 minutes after washing the chemicals off.

But the latest study presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress, investigated the duration of lung health effect in protestors who were directly exposed to tear gas. They found that the effect of tear gas is not just short term but can be experienced even two weeks after the event.

A team of Turkish researchers conducted a survey in which 546 people were asked to complete a questionnaire. These subjects had inhaled tear gas during the public protest in June 2013. The researchers had also gathered data on their smoking history, exposure to tear gas, symptoms they experienced and the duration of those symptoms.

Evaluation of the questionnaires revealed the presence of a range of respiratory symptoms. Nearly 70 percent of the participants had respiratory problems, 80 percent of them had lasting cough, 45 percent of the participants had phlegm production and 43 percent of the participants had chest pain. The median duration of cough and chest pain lasted for 15 days.

The harmful effects of the tear gas on those living nearby were evaluated in a separate study.  They focused on 105 people who lived and worked close to the location of repeated protests during 2013. The lung health symptoms, duration and location of exposure were assessed. They also conducted lung function tests a week after the protest ended.

They noticed that 76 percent of the participants had breathlessness and 89 percent of them reported a lasting cough. The lung function tests showed that 30 participants had airway obstruction.

Dr Eda Uslu, from the Turkish Thoracic Society, said: "These results are significant as they contradict the previous assumptions about the effects of tear gas. Tear gas is not classified as a chemical weapon, but is not allowed to be used between two nations in war situations. Our findings suggest that people who live and work close to protests are also seeing harmful effects on the lungs from the use of this gas. We have also found that the effect on the protesters lasts longer than we previously thought. The use of tear gas should be banned globally to prevent any further damage to health. We also urge researchers to investigate this issue where tear gas exposure may take place in the future."