if you know you’re going to be exposed to tear gas make sure to:
wear a scarf or bandana to cover your nose and mouth (assuming you don’t have access to a gas mask, dust mask or other kinds of filtered masks). cover up identifying marks like tattoos.
tie up your hair and cover it as best as you can (tear gas can and will get into your hair and become tricky to wash out, you risk repeated exposure if you touch your hair and then your face etc).
wear goggles (swimming goggles or ski goggles work pretty well, sunglasses are not as good but they are better than nothing).
COVER YOUR SKIN (tear gas irritates the fuck out of your skin so cover up as best as you can. wear gloves. especially in warmer months sweat or other kinds of moisture on open skin eyes and lungs will react to tear gas and it will burn).
carry cold water with you to wash your face upon exposure, make sure it’s sealed so it’s not contaminated. hot water will open your pores and likely exacerbate the situation, so try to only use cold water.
prepare a separate spray bottle and fill it with a mixture of baking soda and water, this will help neutralize some of the effects of the gas. 3 tsp to every 250 ml seems to be a good rule of thumb. you will spray this onto your face and skin as needed. edit: this mixture is similar to what we used while we were protesting, but i have read conflicting reports regarding its medical efficacy. there’s apparently a risk of scratching your corneas if the baking soda has not dissolved sufficiently. if in doubt just use loads of fresh cold water.
do not wear makeup, sunscreen, creams, or contact lenses.
try not to panic. running blindly will overexert your lungs and make things worse, and might make you hyperventilate faster. you also risk creating chaos and running headfirst into something more dangerous. move quickly but safely to get away from the cloud. get to higher ground if you can. if you’re in a building that has been gassed, immediately exit the building.
if you do inhale it, DON’T PANIC. it feels horrible and kind of like you might die but for most people it’s not lethal. (if you have asthma or other respiratory conditions or you’re elderly it’s far more dangerous for you to be exposed. infants are at greater risk also.) don’t rub your eyes or your face. you might vomit. your eyes and nose will stream like crazy. cough and spit as much as you can to get rid of the mucus build up. you might feel dizzy and disoriented. you might feel blinded. that’s normal. use the spray bottle on your eyes and face as quickly as possible and escape the area. the immediate effects will likely wear off in an hour or two but you might feel the burning/irritation for a day or two afterwards.
take care of yourself first and help others after. remember that touching exposed individuals with bare hands will contaminate your skin also.
if a gas canister lands next to you DO NOT TOUCH IT UNLESS YOU’RE WEARING HEAVY DUTY GLOVES. you will get second degree burns. the traffic cone method that HK protesters have been using seems to be the safest option to neutralize the canisters, but unless you’re sufficiently prepared to do this your only priority should be to get away from them.
take off your shoes outside so you don’t track particles into your house. wear gloves while handling contaminated items.
take off all of your clothes. everything, down to your underclothes will likely be soaked in gas. if you’re able to, hang them outside to air them out on a balcony or in a yard for a few days.
wash your face with cold water as many times as you can. do not stand over a sink and do this; kneeling down and tilting your head back to pour water over your face and into the inner corners your eyes is more effective. flush your eyes out one by one, try not to cross-contaminate particles from one eye into the other.
wash your glasses and goggles with soap and water.
take a cold shower with soap. do not take a bath. you will probably have to take multiple showers until the burning on your face and skin subsides.
wash your contaminated clothes separately – you will have to put them through multiple wash cycles or failing that, discard them. wear gloves while doing this.
gas particles can stay active for 4-5 days so do not wear the same clothes if you are heading back out.
what to do if your home is exposed to tear gas.
