Riot
control methods: What's in your riot's menu? How to deal with them? -
Çağrı Mert Bakırcı part 3.
The
Turkish original of this article, “İsyan
Kontrolünde Kullanılan Yöntemler ve Biyolojik Etkileri”,
signed Çağrı Mert Bakırcı, was published on
June 16th, 2013 in
Evrim
Ağacı.org.
The content of the article is as follows: Introduction, The chemicals
used in riot control and their biological effects, Pressurized water,
Water cannon, Armed vehicles, Scent-based weapons, Pepper gas, Tear
gas and its varieties, The expiration dates of gases and their
effects, Why we feel that the effect of the gases change/increase,
How to protect oneself, Batons, Conclusion.
We
divided the article into parts and therefore restructured the sections
for presentational purposes. The
first part covered batons and pressurized water while the
second covered water cannons and other armed vehicles. We will
now discuss
- scent-based weapons,
- pepper gas, and
- tear gas varieties.
Scent-based
weapons
While
they are used rather infrequently, scent-based weapons serve as an
important example of non-lethal weapons. The malodorants, sprayed
from water cannons, leave a terrible odor in the affected area and do
not wash off easily. As a result the individuals feel like vomiting
and cannot focus on the protest. Sometimes the toxicity of these
chemicals can be so overly high that they can cause permanent damage.
As
an example, Israel used them for crowd control in September 2008.
(See photo below.)
Pepper
Spray
According
to the
Wikipedia article on Pepper spray,
“Pepper
spray,
also known as OC
spray
(from "Oleoresin
Capsicum"),
OC gas,
and capsicum
spray,
is a lachrymatory agent
(a chemical compound that irritates the eyes to cause tears, pain,
and temporary blindness) used in policing,
riot control,
crowd control,
and personal self-defense,
including defense against dogs and bears. Its inflammatory effects
cause the eyes to close, taking away vision. This temporary blindness
allows officers to more easily restrain subjects and permits persons
using pepper spray for self-defense an opportunity to escape.
Although considered a less-than-lethal
agent, it has been
deadly in rare cases, and concerns have been raised about a number of
deaths where being pepper sprayed may have been a contributing
factor.
“The
active ingredient in pepper spray is capsaicin,
which is a chemical derived from the fruit of plants in the Capsicum
genus, including chilis.”
This
gas can be in different colors, depending on the amount of pepper and
other additional chemicals constituting it. While the more common
color is a grayish white, it can also be orange, brownish orange or
yellowish orange. Sometimes colorants are added on purpose in order
to block sight or paint the protesters.
Pepper
gas is either sprayed from canisters or fired from a paintball gun.
In the case of firing from a gun, its effect from short range is
quite similar to actual guns. Hence, it is required that it is fired
with an angle of 45 degrees to the ground. As the capsule is hot and
fast, when fired from short distances, it causes burns, disruptions
and serious brain/sight damages.
The
above-mentioned Wikipedia article
further states:
“Pepper
spray is an inflammatory
agent. It causes immediate closing of the eyes, difficulty breathing,
runny nose, and coughing. The duration of its effects depends on the
strength of the spray but the average full effect lasts around thirty
to forty-five minutes, with diminished effects lasting for hours.
“The
Journal
of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science
published a study that concluded that single exposure of the eye to
OC is harmless, but repeated exposure can result in long-lasting
changes in corneal
sensitivity. They found no lasting decrease in visual
acuity.
“The
European Parliament Scientific and Technological Options Assessment
(STOA) published in 1998 "An Appraisal of Technologies of
Political Control" with extensive information on pepper spray
and tear gas.
They write:
The
effects of pepper spray are far more severe, including temporary
blindness which lasts from 15–30 minutes, a burning sensation of
the skin which lasts from 45 to 60 minutes, upper body spasms which
force a person to bend forward and uncontrollable coughing making it
difficult to breathe or speak for between 3 to 15 minutes. …
“… Direct
close-range spray can cause more serious eye irritation by attacking
the cornea with a concentrated stream of liquid (the so-called
"hydraulic needle" effect). Some brands have addressed this
problem by means of an elliptically cone-shaped spray pattern.
“Capsaicin
is not soluble in water, and even large volumes of water will not
wash it off. In general, victims are encouraged to blink vigorously
in order to encourage tears, which will help flush the irritant from
the eyes.
“A
formal study of five often-recommended treatments for skin pain
(Maalox,
2% lidocaine
gel, baby shampoo, milk, or water) concluded that:
"...there
was no significant difference in pain relief provided by five
different treatment regimens. Time after exposure appeared to be the
best predictor for decrease in pain..." ”
Contact
with liquid seems to have a relaxing effect, but there are no reports
showing pain relief. In any case, the fluidity is considered to
slightly reduce the pain caused by the pepper gas. Many
ambulance services and emergency departments use baby shampoo to
remove the spray. In general, the time for recovery can be reduced to
7-15 minutes with these extra treatments.
Tear
Gas (Lachrymatory agent)
As
the Wikipedia
article on Tear Gas
states, research shows that the use of tear gas has some serious
risks:
“As
with all non-lethal, or less-than-lethal weapons, there is some risk
of serious permanent injury or death when tear gas is used. This
includes risks from being hit by tear gas cartridges, which include
severe bruising, loss of eyes, skull fracture, and even death. While
the medical consequences of the gases themselves are typically
limited to minor skin inflammation, delayed complications are also
possible: people with pre-existing respiratory conditions such as
asthma, who are particularly at risk, may sometimes require
hospitalization or even ventilation support. Skin exposure to CS may
cause chemical burns or induce allergic contact dermatitis. When
people are hit at close range or are severely exposed, eye injuries
involving scarring of the cornea can lead to a permanent loss in
visual acuity.”
There
are several types of tear gas:
- OC (Pepper spray) : See previous section.
- CS gas (2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile) : A capsule used in Istanbul during the uprising in 2013 can be seen below. While considered non-lethal, many studies have raised doubts to this classification by showing that it can cause pulmonary damage as well as damage to the heart and liver. Being exposed to CS gas indoors can significantly contribute to or even cause lethal effects. CS gas exposure is further correlated to miscarriages. As the Wikipedia article on CS gas states, according to studies, “CS contamination can be removed by washing with an alkaline solution of water and 5% sodium bisulfite." The color of CS gas is typically light orange.
- CR gas (dibenzoxazepine) : CR is a pale yellow solid with a pepper-like odor. As it is slightly soluble in water, its effects are not reduced when treated with water. It is usually fired in canisters that heat up, producing an aerosol cloud. According to the Wikipedia article on CR gas,“Its effects are approximately 6 to 10 times more powerful than those of CS gas. CR causes intense skin irritation, in particular around moist areas; blepharospasm, causing temporary blindness; and coughing, gasping for breath, and panic. It is capable of causing immediate incapacitation. It is a suspected carcinogen. It is toxic, but less so than CS gas, by ingestion and exposure. However, it can be lethal in large quantities. In a poorly ventilated space, an individual may inhale a lethal dose within minutes. Death is caused by asphyxiation and pulmonary edema.“The effect of CR is long-term and persistent. CR can persist on surfaces, especially porous ones, for up to 60 days.“While CS can be decontaminated with a large amount of water, use of water may exacerbate the effects of CR. Skin contaminated with CR gas may become extremely painful in contact with water for up to 48 hours after contamination.”The following video, “CR gas human test”, shows the effects of CR gas:
CR
gas is known to be commonly used in Ukraine, Israel and Egypt.
- CN gas (Phenacyl chloride) : According to the Wikipedia article on CN gas, “Because of its significantly greater toxicity, it has largely been supplanted by CS gas. Even though CN is still supplied to paramilitary and police forces in a small pressurized aerosol known as “Mace” or tear gas, its use is falling as pepper spray both works and disperses more quickly than CN.” A capsule can be seen below.
- Nonivamide (pelargonic acid vanillylamide or PAVA) is a pepper gas derivative, more heat-stable than capsaicin. It is typically used as an active ingredient in pepper sprays.
- BA (Bromoacetone): Bromoacetone is a colorless liquid used in World War I as a chemical weapon. It is highly toxic and is therefore not used in riot control.
- Xylyl bromide (Methylbenzyl bromide or T-stoff): Also used as a chemical weapon in World War I but not in use for riot control, it is a colorless liquid with a pleasant aromatic smell.
- syn-Propanethial-S-oxide: This is the chemical released from onions as they are sliced. In general, it is not used as a tear gas ingredient. Yet, we would like to keep it in our list as it has similar effects.
No comments:
Post a Comment