Neutralizing Tear Gas
popularmechanics.com
popularmechanics.com
A cartridge of something hot and smoking skitters at your feet. You can throw it back, or douse it with water, or immerse it in water, but you'll burn your hand if you don't have gloves on. The smoke is a powerful irritant that feels like someone blew pepper into your eyes and nose. If the residue gets on your skin and clothes, you can tear gas yourself later by accident. Goggles and a particulate filter mask protect against it.
That's really all you need to know about tear gas.
What is interesting is observing theearning curve of the protest participants, who rapidly learn and adapt, but always seem initially underprepared.
Why have you experienced so many different riots? Are you a reporter, a protestor or something else?
What is true is that Life Goes On. Even in Istanbul or Paris with the huge protests, if you're not in that specific part of town at that specific moment, you wouldn't even know it was happening.
Hotels in HK are wildly cheap at the moment.. it's the time to visit a tourist free city and witness (for better or for worse) history in motion
There was also a video going around of a protestor in HK placing a traffic cone over the canister and dousing it with water to defuse. It looked to do the trick.
Lots of protestors have the belief that a handkerchief soaked in vinegar will have some type of "neutralization action" against the gas when worn tightly around the face - watch protest videos and you'll see this in action. I have no idea if the vinegar has any actual effect on the chemical or if a wet barrier just keeps it from being easily inhaled.
I don't believe the foam would work because the burning bit has its own oxidizer. I've seen fire extinguishers used to create a smokescreen and to make floors slippery, but water is enough for the tear gas cartridges (and people here really seem to prefer to throw them back).
They brought in an expert to answer the question and he didn't answer the question. I still don't know what was in the thermos or what to use to extinguish a tear gas canister.
This would have been more useful and interesting if PopMech had just bought a few canisters, tested the various theorie, and reported the results.
The best homemade solution for protecting lungs is a wet but separated barrier, like being wrapped in wet towels. Oiled rags work decently too and do not need to be moistened repeatedly.
If inhaled, apply amyl acetate inhalant stick to help with breathing.
You will need tight glasses to protect eyes, eg. swimming goggles. Temporarily you can cover them with said wet barrier but that loses you vision and is mostly useful for passing area of gas.
Immersing or tightly covering the source will prevent it from spreading the gas. Careful, it's hot, do not use anything flammable.
Of course a real gas mask with filters or P95 (or better) respirator plus goggles is better for protecting lungs. (N level respirators for dust won't work.)
Source: was in civil defense.
Just behind the frontline is a taskforce who runs around putting out all teargas.
Based on the other method
But nevertheless it seems i mixed up France with Switzerland here. Though I cant find the original source I had in mind, Guy Smallman had his leg severely injured in Geneva during the 2003 G8 summit by a shock grenade.
https://web.archive.org/web/20130507090403/http://www.nujadm...
Thanks for the heads up!
Is it just me, or is it weird for Wired Magazine to the the source of knowledge for chemistry?
I will take good and interesting information wherever I can get it. Isn't that what makes the internet great? That we have so many sources that we are bound to come across something we had little to no knowledge of and then have the ability to cross check it?
"For we may distinguish two main types of government. The first type consists of governments of which we can get rid without bloodshed — for example, by way of general elections; that is to say, the social institutions provide means by which the rulers may be dismissed by the ruled, and the social traditions- ensure that these i nstitutions will not easily be destroyed by those who are in power. The second type consists of governments which the ruled cannot get rid of except by way of a successful revolution — that is to say, in most cases, not at all" ... "the criterion of a democracy is this: In a democracy, the rulers — that is to say, the government — can be dismissed by the ruled without bloodshed Thus if the men in power do not safeguard those institutions which secure to the minority the possibility of working for a peaceful change, then their rule is a tyranny. We need only distinguish between two forms of government, viz. such as possess institutions of this kind, and all others"
https://archive.org/stream/TheOpenSocietyAndItsEnemiesPopper...
This is frequently found in political philosophy that goes well beyond Popper's liberal egalitarianism. It's very strange to see this in the context of a country which is ostensibly (but not actually) democratic, such as China.
In my experience, the only cops who like tear gas are those who never used it. They have a whole barrage of cynical jokes about tear gas (~"It's only weather control device that works - wind will turn 180 degrees a few seconds after you placed the charge.").
EDIT: Disclaimer - got some loads myself during protests but also have riot police in my family.
Some countries use regular pellet guns, for example India in Kashmir with the expected result of a lot of lost eyes.
Actually, no corporations have really commented on the matter as far as I know, so they're not even being hypocritical. There is so much money on the line, it would have to get incredibly bloody before anyone would do anything, so I think China has lots of leeway, and I've seen nothing to indicate they're not incredibly sharp.
That lethal force against protesters leads somehow automatically to breaking down of political support is wishful thinking. Do you really need a list of countries who regularly use lethal force against protesters and are good friends and partners of western governments? When it comes to a state killing protesters all that matters is who the state is.
It's terrible. Your eyes water, fluids pour out of your nose and down your throat, you choke. Truly an effective invention.