File:Police_fighting_against_anti-Sarkozy_with_tear_gas_(487645695).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
tear gas
Sign in to saveAlso known as lachrymatory agent, lachrymator, tear smoke, tear gases, lachrymatory bomb
non-lethal chemical weapon
Tear gas is a non-lethal chemical weapon that causes temporary irritation to the eyes, skin, and lungs, making it difficult for people to see or breathe. It's commonly used by law enforcement to disperse crowds, though its use is controversial because of concerns about its health effects and potential for misuse.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Research
1,030 papers- Reevaluating tear gas toxicity and safety.ReviewInhalation toxicology · 2021Brown JL, Lyons CE, Toddes C et al.DOI: 10.1080/08958378.2021.1963887
- Tear gas: an epidemiological and mechanistic reassessment.ReviewAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2016Rothenberg C, Achanta S, Svendsen ER et al.DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13141
- Tear gas dermatitis.JAMA · 1968Jolly HW, Carpenter CL Jr
- Tear gas--harassing agent or toxic chemical weapon?ReviewJAMA · 1989Hu H, Fine J, Epstein P et al.DOI: 10.1001/jama.262.5.660
- Desquamative interstitial pneumonia after tear gas exposure.Respiratory medicine and research · 2022Villeneuve T, Prévot G, Collot S et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.resmer.2021.100863
- Tear gas dermatitis.JAMA · 1968Holly HW, Carpenter CL JrDOI: 10.1001/jama.203.9.807c
- Tear gas dermatitis.Clinical and experimental dermatology · 2005Morrone A, Sacerdoti G, Franco G et al.DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2230.2005.01801.x
- Tear Gas and Pepper Spray Toxicity.2026Tidwell RD, Wills BK
via PubMed
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Encyclopedic overview
Tear gas in use in France 2007 An exploded tear gas canister airborne in Greece A tear gas canister in Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge
Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (from Latin lacrima 'tear'), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In addition, it can cause severe eye and respiratory pain, skin irritation, bleeding, and blindness. Common lachrymators both currently and formerly used as tear gas include pepper spray (OC gas), PAVA spray (nonivamide), CS gas, CR gas, CN gas (phenacyl chloride), bromoacetone, xylyl bromide, chloropicrin (PS gas) and Mace (a branded mixture).
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “tear gas” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
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