Use of tear gas may cause burns to skin, eyes and airways
Legislative councillor and former security secretary, Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, has expressed support for the police using tear gas on protesters outside the Hong Kong government headquarters on September 28.
Legislative councillor and former security secretary, Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, has expressed support for the police using tear gas on protesters outside the Hong Kong government headquarters on September 28.
During a news conference she was questioned about the long-term health consequences from tear gas.
Some of us have treated those who have been subject to tear gas (chlorobenzalmalononitrile, or CS) and have managed the complications resulting from such exposure.
We wish to inform the Hong Kong public that multiple studies and medical reports have reported significant medical complications from exposure to these "riot control" agents, including one (in 1995) that reported burns after tear gas was used in a detention centre in Hong Kong.
Burns to skin, eyes and airways may result, and associations to lung and liver damage have been made. It is important to recognise that the immediate implications of tear gas are heightened if the exposed individual has certain conditions, such as diseases of the lungs. Indeed, two studies published this year reported distressing respiratory symptoms that lasted for more than two weeks and an increased risk of long-term lung disease in subjects.
Apart from the effect of the tear gas itself, trauma from the explosion of the gas-containing shell can also cause significant injury to the body, with one publication from Iran (in 2011) reporting severe injury to blood vessels in 18 patients, three of whom required amputation of their limbs.
It is the duty of those presiding over decisions relating to the deployment of riot control agents to be aware of their potential deleterious effects. The Pharmaceutical Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Pharmacy Union issued open letters to the chief executive warning of the dangers of tear gas and pepper spray to vulnerable members of the public and international tourists.
Our advice to people exposed to tear gas is to shower thoroughly, isolate all contaminated clothes from others in the household, and seek medical advice if you are concerned.
