The teargas and its’ bad effects on you

By MWAURA SAMORA

From mechanics resisting eviction from a private property in Grogan, activists occupying parliament to hawkers demanding space to sell their wares, there have been many incidents in the recent past where the police have been called upon to put things under control.

During these chaotic occasions, the police often waste no time in beating the sense out of anybody who defies the dispersing orders.

One of the most important crowd control weapons besides the batons, guns and water canons is teargas – the misty substance that triggers an endless stream of tears, mucus, sneezing and coughing when inhaled.

Those who have been caught in the crossfire when the police unleash this deadly anti-riot gas know too well how the fumes stings the nostrils, throat and the eyes.

“The amount of tear bombs used depends on the state of the riot. Some crowds disperse easily while others don’t,” says a Kenya Police bomb expert who prefers condition of anonymity since he is not allowed to speak to the media.

“Each police officer is usually given a certain number of canisters and the tallying is taken back in the station.”

He says the use of teargas during skirmishes is controlled by a riot commander who directs when and where to fire the smoke grenades.

“But in intense situations, things happens randomly and the officers can use their own judgment,” our police source says.

As a crowd control weapon, teargas is not selective, meaning that even those that are not part of the group causing public disturbance become victims.

Its manner of use and its effects are rarely interrogated by human rights groups and the public since the smoke has been accepted as a tool for restoring public order.

But health experts say the effects of teargas can be severe and sometimes even fatal.

Although it is hard to quantify the number of people who have died or been injured as a direct result of tear gas exposure in Nairobi over the years, this does not mean it has not occurred.

Though classified as non-lethal chemical weapon, health experts have warned that inhaling too much teargas, especially for those with underlying respiratory conditions like pneumonia or asthma, can lead to serious consequences.

“When inhaled in large quantities by people suffering from asthma they can trigger an acute asthmatic attack which could be fatal,” says Dr Benter Pasakar, a medical officer at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Referral Hospital in Kisumu.

“Those that have pepper spray can cause temporal immobility hence lead to someone being knocked down by a vehicle.”

Teargas, she says, can aggravate the situation for people with eye problems since it is made of chemicals that are designed to trigger tear and mucus production.

“Those with contact lenses can develop serious allergies since some of the components in the lenses can react with the gas chemicals,” Dr Pasakar says.

“There is also the danger of being hit and killed by shrapnels, that is bits and pieces of the exploded grenade.”

A police officer confessed to a journalist during a riot that the type of teargas used in Kenya today is so potent that a considerable exposure on a pregnant woman can trigger a miscarriage.

Dr Pasakar says: “This could only be possible if they have added abortive elements in the gas which might trigger a miscarriage.”

Kenya Police Service insists teargas is a harmless crowd control weapon.

Classified as a mild biological weapon by the United Nations, teargas is a composition of various chemical agents that are designed to attack the human membrane system and cause a temporary immobilisation or helplessness.

Also called lacrimator, teargas is a blanket term for a variety of substances that are used by riot police to control rowdy mobs, with the most common being CS and CN gases.

The type frequently used by police in recent riots in Nairobi during protests is CN since its effects are not severe but lasts longer – around 30 minutes. CS on the hand has more severe but shortlived consequences, usually less than 10 minutes.

“Given the fact that the police want to make sure people flee the scene as soon as possible, CN is deemed more appropriate,” the police bomb expert told The Nairobian.

To ensure they use the substance effectively without being the victims themselves, policemen usually fire the grenades along the wind rather than against it.

“Sometimes we also face the same consequence as the protesters since we have to endure the sting of the fumes,” the source says. “But to us, this is work and we have no option but to live with it.”

Protesters in Nairobi have designed ways of suppressing tear gas effects. During the Occupy Parliament demos a few weeks ago, participants had water bottles and wet handkerchiefs. In cities of Egypt and Turkey where riots are the order of the day, they have come up with ingenious methods like homemade gas masks, drenching freshly exploded canisters in sand and wet towels to treatment with lemon, vinegar and soda.

Again, scientific studies done on the impacts of teargas claim that its effects are greatly reduced among people who are intoxicated, mentally ill or excessively excited.

The method of delivery preferred by the Kenya Police varies between rifle-fired teargas grenades to hand thrown canisters. In other countries they also use hand-held spray pumps and tear gas bombs dropped from choppers.

 “The grenades should be fired at 45 degree angles upwards and from a distance of 360 feet according to most manufacturers’ manuals,” our police source disclosed.

“But during the unpredictable riot environment these regulations are disregarded as officers sometimes fires from shoulder level.”

Teargas grenades fired at shoulder level on close range can kill on impact when they land on sensitive areas like head or chest. According to our police source, the teargas being used in Nairobi and other parts of the country is imported from Israel and the United States.

Apart from tear gas, police use other methods like rubber or live bullets and water canons to disperse crowds.