CS Gas
Its Effects And How To Combat Them.
In the last few months the police have used CS gas on activists and demonstrators several times; twice at Consort, the vivisection beagle breeders in Herefordshire, and more recently at a post-action party in Kent. There’s even unconfirmed rumours that it was used by eviction teams at Manchester airport.
There’s already been a couple of police custody CS related deaths so these examples of its use at actions should be taken seriously. CS is an accepted part of the police arsenal and we are likely to see an increase of its use at demonstrations. Everyone should be aware of this worrying trend and be prepared to deal with it.
Brief History
CS is short for O-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile. The properties of this compound were first discovered by American chemists in 1928, and the potential chemical warfare uses suggested by a Dutch writer a little later in 1934. During World War Two scientists in various countries studied the compound but it wasn’t seriously developed as a weapon until the mid 50’s. The first widespread use was during the Vietnam War, both in America and Vietnam, and it has remained a favourite of police forces and armies ever since.
Police in the UK have had access to CS for years and have used it often in Ireland. But now it has passed from specialist riot control units and is on general issue to forces throughout the mainland. It’s carried in small cans the size of roll-on deodorants and attached to the standard copper’s belt. (The large green canisters you can see on belts of riot police are not CS but fire extinguishers).
The Effects
The canisters currently carried by the police contain three ingredients; the active chemical (CS), a liquid solvent to dissolve and carry it and an inert gas to act as a propellant for the spray. The active ingredient CS is one of a group of chemical compounds called lachrymators. These chemicals are tear producing agents, hence the euphemism ’tear gas’. Exposure causes severe eye irritation, a profuse flow of tears, skin irritation (especially on moist areas of the body) and irritation of the upper respiratory tract, causing sneezing, coughing and difficulty in breathing.
What To Do When Sprayed
(1) If you are in the line of spray move away or if in a building move outside. Your eyesight will become very blurred and you may lose awareness of what is going on around you. Do not run blindly away as there is a real danger of running into the arms of the police or traffic. Try to act calmly and stay aware of your surroundings while moving to a safe area.
(2) Stand upwind of where the spraying took place and expose the affected part of your body to the wind. This will help disperse the gas.
(3) Flush the affected area with cold water. Do not rub or itch as you will spread the chemical and rub it into your pores. Depending on how much gas you were sprayed with it may be possible to return to the action as small amounts should only effect you for a few minutes.
(4) When possible have a cold/lukewarm shower (hot water opens the pores letting in gas particles). Showers flush particles away while baths may spread them around.
(5) Later you should hang your clothes in a well ventilated area to disperse the last particles. When they’ve hung for a day or so wash them twice, once in cold water, then again in hot and they’ll be okay to wear again.
CS Gas is fat and oil soluble, so never coat your face in petroleum jelly or similar substances for protection, as some people tried in the Anti-Vietnam War protests of the 60’s. Don’t treat the affected area with any cream, jelly or ointment unless advised by a doctor; this will spread the chemical and aggravate the symptoms. The best treatments are air, cold water and time.
Protection
(1) The obvious one is a gas mask. They’re available but expensive (the only ones worth using are current ex-military designs). They tend to be bulky and make you conspicuous in a crowd although in the future they may become standard wear for everyone.
(2) A mask and hood will offer some limited protection and they are well worth wearing anyway for disguise. An improvement on the normal bandanna is a special cycle mask (the Respro Urban Bandit is particularly good - about £10 from your local bike shop) as they contain activated charcoal which filters out CS.
(3) Goggles can be useful for eye protection and are easy to get hold of and carry.
(4) Carry a bottle of clean water to rinse the skin and eyes of anyone sprayed.
(5) If you’re asthmatic tell the people around you before the action or demonstration starts so that if you have a bad reaction they’ll know why and be able to react appropriately.
This may seem over cautious but to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Here’s hoping you never need it.
The Molly Maguire Fan Club.