What you should do when caught up in tear gas
IT is important to know what you should have in your bag if you anticipate tear gas:
IT is important to know what you should have in your bag if you anticipate tear gas:
A bandana or paper towel soaked in lemon juice or cider vinegar, stored in a plastic bag.
Tight-fitting swimming goggles or similar eye protection. Do not wear contact lenses if you anticipate a tear gas attack. The gas can destroy them.
The best defence against tear gas is a gas mask, but if you do not have a mask. You can breathe through the acidified cloth for several minutes, which should give you sufficient time to get upwind or reach higher ground.
Immediately remove clothes with traces of teargas. You can wear your clothes again after you wash them, but wash them separately the first time.
If you do not have goggles or any sort of mask, you can breathe the air inside your shirt, since there is less air circulation and, therefore, a lower concentration of the gas, but that is counterproductive once the fabric becomes saturated.
The gas hurts, but the fear caused by tear gas grenades is a much more effective means of crowd dispersal than the gas itself. So rule number one is to calm down and hold your breath.
Move away from the source of tear gas as soon as possible. Move towards an open space with a breeze, where the wind blows in the opposite direction of the tear gas source.
Do not pick up a grenade which has not exploded. You can be injured if/when it goes off in your hand.
Move away from the riot. The more time you spend in the midst of a riot, the greater your chance of being injured.
First aid
First aid for eyes is to flush them with sterile saline or water until the stinging starts to abate.
Exposed skin should be washed with soap and water. Breathing difficulties are treated by administering oxygen and in some cases using medication that are used to treat asthma. Medicated bandages can be used on burns.
If the gas is in a building, exit the building or at least relocate to a distant room.
A bandana or paper towel soaked in lemon juice or cider vinegar, stored in a plastic bag.
Tight-fitting swimming goggles or similar eye protection. Do not wear contact lenses if you anticipate a tear gas attack. The gas can destroy them.
The best defence against tear gas is a gas mask, but if you do not have a mask. You can breathe through the acidified cloth for several minutes, which should give you sufficient time to get upwind or reach higher ground.
Immediately remove clothes with traces of teargas. You can wear your clothes again after you wash them, but wash them separately the first time.
If you do not have goggles or any sort of mask, you can breathe the air inside your shirt, since there is less air circulation and, therefore, a lower concentration of the gas, but that is counterproductive once the fabric becomes saturated.
The gas hurts, but the fear caused by tear gas grenades is a much more effective means of crowd dispersal than the gas itself. So rule number one is to calm down and hold your breath.
Move away from the source of tear gas as soon as possible. Move towards an open space with a breeze, where the wind blows in the opposite direction of the tear gas source.
Do not pick up a grenade which has not exploded. You can be injured if/when it goes off in your hand.
Move away from the riot. The more time you spend in the midst of a riot, the greater your chance of being injured.
First aid
First aid for eyes is to flush them with sterile saline or water until the stinging starts to abate.
Exposed skin should be washed with soap and water. Breathing difficulties are treated by administering oxygen and in some cases using medication that are used to treat asthma. Medicated bandages can be used on burns.
If the gas is in a building, exit the building or at least relocate to a distant room.