How tear gas can affect you
The GCN finds out more about how tear gas can affect a person.
After residents of the Goodhope informal settlement took to the streets in protest action on Wednesday and Thursday, they claimed that during an alleged attack by the EMPD, tear gas was fired into the informal settlement.
This affected community members who were not even active in the protest, including a number of children whose parents had to take them to hospital.
The GCN spoke to a medical professional to find out how tear gas can affect a person, especially a child.
The Oxford Concise Medical Dictionary states that tear gas is any of the several kinds of gas used in warfare and by the police to produce temporary incapacitation.
RELATED ARTICLES:
Residents of Goodhope informal settlement tired of empty promises and false hope
ALERT: Protest action in Germiston — avoid Lower Boksburg and Knights roads
Most tear gases produce stinging pain in the eyes and streaming from the eyes and nose.
The sufferer can also experience difficulty in breathing, tightness of the chest, nausea and vomiting.
In confined spaces, the gas can prove fatal.
A child or an adult may have to be hospitalised if they already have a compromised immune system (for example, suffer from TB or HIV/Aids or even have flu) or have pre-existing respiratory conditions (for example asthma) as the tear gas can cause respiratory distress.
In severe cases respiratory arrest may occur requiring advanced life support interventions.
People can also experience burns and allergic reactions on their skin due to exposure to the tear gas.
This is especially true if the gas was fired into an enclosed space.
The effects of tear gas exposure can last between 30 minutes to a few hours depending on the exposure period.
When a person has been exposed to tear gas the first thing to do is to get them into the fresh air.
Remove the person’s clothing which has been exposed to the gas, as well as contact lenses from the eyes.
Employ standard first aid by thoroughly flushing out the eyes with water.
Use soap and water to wash the skin and wash the person’s clothes well.
* This article is for informative purposes only and does not replace sound emergency medical care. People are advised to contact their doctor or local emergency department if exposed to tear gas for professional medical care.
Have a story?
Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za or Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist) kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za
Remember to visit the Germiston City News on the following social media platforms:
Or add the GCN on WhatsApp 079 406 1181 or BBM (BBM Pin: 7F102137) today, to get all the latest news.
Catch-up on more local news with our sister newspapers Bedfordview Edenvale News, Alberton Record and Kempton Express.
