Piss, Vinigar, and Teargas

oneeyedjack909

Is there any way to nulify the effects of tear gas without a gas mask. I've heard of using vinigar soaked cloth and even piss soaked cloth to cover the mouth but does anyone know if this really works?

Thanatos

I hesitate to ask:

Why would you want to know this?

oneeyedjack909

I'm going to a protest in Denver and would like to ask redress for my greivances but without the burning sensation of teargas should it be used (although hopefully not).

Plutonium

A protest where police would shoot tear-gas at you is not the type of protest it would be wise to go to.

They usually do that when you're doing things like rioting.

Pheezer

Also, if you have a water bottle and a rag, that'll work just as well as your piss would, and would remove the need to rub piss on your face. This story really comes from WWI when unprepared troops hit with mustard gas would piss on a rag. You see, mustard gas is chlorine gas, and when you breath it in it turns into hydrochloric acid inside your esophagus and then you drown. From the bleeding. In your throat.

A wet rag will catch the chlorine and convert it to acid right off. It won't remain 100% effective for any significant exposure, and you'll still suffer severe chemical burning to your hands and eyes and ears and any areas with sweat glands, meaning that you should really wrap your mouth and nostrils and lie face down in the mud until the clouds pass over, with your eyes squinted tightly. Of course, you're liable to get sawed in half by a bayonet wielded by a gas mask wearing stormtrooper in the intervening period but let's face it: The phrase War Is Hell had to come from somewhere.

But back to tear gas: It'll probably help to have a wet rag, yes. It's still going to hurt a lot, and you're still a fucking idiot for doing something that gets you teargassed with the foreknowledge that teargassing is likely, if only for the simple fact that whatever your point is, nobody is going to take it seriously if this is how you pursue it.

Good luck with that, though.

oneeyedjack909

I'm going as a medic. But I'm not affiliated with any ambulance services in Denver and most injuries are likely to occur in the midst of violent mess so if there is tear gas involved I would like to not be hacking and coughing while admistering treatment.

Improvolone

Why not get a gas mask then? It would also be hard to give treatment with a rag over your face.

Plutonium

You can probably get a fairly cheap gas mask at your local Army Surplus.

OremLK

Improvolone wrote: »

Why not get a gas mask then? It would also be hard to give treatment with a rag over your face.

Seems sensible to me. Put it in a backpack or something if you don't want to be wearing it during the actual protest.

...is it actually likely that this thing will turn into a "violent mess"? Why on earth would you want to involve yourself in something like that?

Even the worst case "protesters in the right, police in the wrong" situations I've heard of have just involved the gas and maybe a couple people getting smacked by nightsticks/rubber bullets. Which, granted, is pretty bad, but not a violent mess with a bunch of injuries like you're making it sound is likely...

Pheezer

Yeah, that sort of thing doesn't happen so much in the USA. Anyhow, if you get a mask, you need something that seals the eyes, nostrils and mouth and you want fresh chemical cartridges, not particulate. The mask will probably run $100, and filters can be as cheap as $25, but you'll probably want a combination chemical/particulate filter that doesn't suck, and that could be $40+. You'll want something that mentions both pepper spray and tear gas on the label.

Keep in mind that you can still suffer some pretty harsh skin reactions to both tear gas and pepper spray, too.

oneeyedjack909

I hope it isn't likely and I doubt it will degenerate into a violent mess but I always like to plan for the worst case scenario. My only concern with tear gas is that it has an area effect that can potentially wander into areas where patients could be recieving treatment. Also it has been known to render some patients unconsious and, having worked with police before in emergency responce situations, I would rather get to them first. I know it is often done for their own protection but police have a habit of delaying treatment by following their own proticols especially when they get their "cop faces" on.

Like I said, I hope shit doesn't go down but having worked with an ambulance service and having experianced situations where shit really hits the fan I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Maybe you're right I was looking at some prices on the internet and I think I'll just get a gas mask. My only concern with donning a gas mask is a case of mistaken identity. I dont want some anarchist punk seeing a gas mask while squinting through tears and think 'cop' and then come at me cuz he's all hopped up on freedom. After all if it comes to tear gas then its probably safe to say that some people will be rather upset with the police.

Pheezer

I honestly think you should be more worried about being detained by police if they find you in possession of a gas mask. Potentially in a less than polite manner. If you're not dressed like a riot cop you're not likely to be mistaken for one.

CooterTKE

honestly it is best to have a mask. I have been there and got gassed because i was watching the protest.

Pheezer

Seriously though I don't see the point in doing this sort of nonsense if you're not affiliated with the city's legitimate emergency responders. It's not like anyone's liable to die because you weren't there to help. My real advice still stands at get a better hobby.

Midshipman

oneeyedjack909 wrote: »

My only concern with donning a gas mask is a case of mistaken identity. I dont want some anarchist punk seeing a gas mask while squinting through tears and think 'cop' and then come at me cuz he's all hopped up on freedom.

Paint a red cross on the mask?

Fats

Pheezer wrote: »

Seriously though I don't see the point in doing this sort of nonsense if you're not affiliated with the city's legitimate emergency responders. It's not like anyone's liable to die because you weren't there to help. My real advice still stands at get a better hobby.

I've got to agree. It's not a disaster, there will be no shortage of medical personnel. You're just going to cause confusion.

Now if you want to go just to see a demonstration, great. If you're affiliated with an EMS provider at home, check to see if they've got masks lying around -- we got a bunch of homeland security money for NBC gear. The stuff gets replaced every couple years, so sometimes the admin guys will let you take it home.

Seattle Thread

oneeyedjack909 wrote: »

I dont want some anarchist punk seeing a gas mask while squinting through tears and think 'cop' and then come at me cuz he's all hopped up on freedom.

You still won't have a police uniform. And said police uniform would be riot gear, which is beyond indistinguishable from anything else. And the anarchists are going to have gas masks, too--at least the smart ones will. No one, no matter how goofballed-up, is going to mistake you for a police officer in that situation.

Having been in a full-scale riot with tear gas before, I recommend you stay home. But if you really, really must go, you are going to miserable with anything less than a gas mask. Buy it, bring it in a backpack, put it on as soon as you see fog.

GoodOmens

oneeyedjack909 wrote: »

I'm going to a protest in Denver and would like to ask redress for my greivances but without the burning sensation of teargas should it be used (although hopefully not).

Just as a matter of curiosity, what grievances exactly?

CoJoeTheLawyer

So let me get this straight...

You're going to Denver for whatever nefarious purposes, you expect to encounter a riot, complete with angry cops and teargas, and you expect to be of assistance to any injured parties in the middle of this riot due to the fact that at some point you worked with an ambulance service???

Really, I think you're wasting your time. At best, you'll just be in the way of the official Denver EMS. At worst, you're exposing yourself and possibly others to a plethora of physical, psychological and legal dangers.

To answer your question though, the only way your going to avoid the wonderful effects of teargas is with a gasmask.