Tear gas contains chemicals that cause birth defects, infertility, brain damamge, and cancer. Infants and children are particularly sensitive to these chemical hazards. Here's much more info from our friends at Physicians For Social Responsibility - LA ("Tear Gas Clouds and Chronic Health Problems")
Tear gas contains chemicals that cause birth defects, infertility, brain damamge, and cancer.
Infants and children are particularly sensitive to these chemical hazards.
Here's much more info from our friends at Physicians For Social Responsibility - LA ("Tear Gas Clouds and Chronic Health Problems")
"The actions of the Seattle Police Department and National
Guard during the three days of the WTO Conference in
1999 constituted the single largest deployment of
chemical weapons in the history of North America. The
deployment of these weapons, which were used against
young and old alike, healthy and infirm, en total in the
city of Seattle, are prohibited by the International Treaty
on Chemical Weapons for use in warfare.1 Warfare is a
situation where one is dealing with ostensible enemies,
attacking men readied for combat who are healthy and
expecting to fight. The people exposed to these chemicals
in Seattle were both peaceful demonstrators and
uninvolved residents. They came from all walks of life,
for many different reasons, and were met with official
force that would otherwise be illegal. It is almost more
frightening to think that this act of chemical warfare, as it
is indeed warfare as defined by the Pentagon, came at the
hands of local authorities acting mainly of their own
accord.
"Thousands of innocent people were exposed to potentially
deadly chemicals. This exposure came at a very high
price. This price is not only directly monetary, though the
taxpayers of Seattle paid for the chemicals used against
them, but had indirect costs as well. Thousands of hours
of work were lost by people made sick by gas, hundreds
of insurance claims were made, and lawsuits were filed.
These court battles may be fought well into the future,
with the cost being borne directly by taxpayers. More
importantly, thousands of exposed people will be paying
with their health. Innumerable people were seriously ill in
the weeks following exposure, but the full effect of the
carcinogenic ‘inerts’ may not be felt for many years. We
will know if exposed people have children with birth
defects, develop tumors on their livers and lungs, or suffer
from unexplained emotional problems, exactly what is the
price of this exposure."
Original: Tear Gas & Chronic Health Problems - Physicians For Social Repsonsibility