Tear gas is a chemical irritant used for crowd control that causes intense but usually short-term irritation of the eyes, skin, and breathing passages.

What tear gas is

  • Tear gas is a riot-control agent : chemicals such as CS, CN, or OC (in pepper spray) that are dispersed as aerosols or fine particles, not true gases.
  • It’s designed to quickly overwhelm the senses so people move away from an area rather than remain there.

What tear gas does to your body

Immediate effects (seconds to minutes)

  • Eyes: burning pain, heavy tearing, redness, blurred vision, and temporary inability to keep eyes open or see clearly.
  • Nose, mouth, throat: burning, runny nose, drooling, difficulty swallowing, coughing, choking sensation.
  • Lungs: chest tightness, wheezing, shortness of breath, feeling like you “can’t get air in,” especially in people with asthma or COPD.
  • Skin: burning, stinging, redness, sometimes rashes or mild chemical burns, worse with sweat or moisture.
  • Whole body: dizziness, disorientation, nausea or vomiting, panic or intense distress because breathing and vision feel suddenly impaired.

These symptoms often start within seconds and may begin to ease within 15–60 minutes after you reach fresh air, though discomfort can last longer depending on dose and conditions.

Short‑term risks

  • In enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces, high concentrations can lead to severe breathing problems and, in rare cases, respiratory failure or death.
  • The projectile canisters themselves can cause serious injuries (for example, head trauma) if they strike someone.

Long‑term and repeated exposure

Most people recover without lasting harm, but tear gas is not harmless.

  • Repeated or heavy exposure has been linked to chronic cough, chest tightness, and bronchitis‑like symptoms.
  • Serious complications reported include chronic respiratory problems, eye damage (including possible vision loss), and lasting skin issues in some exposed people.
  • People with asthma, COPD, heart or lung disease, children, older adults, and pregnant people are more vulnerable to severe effects.

Why it feels so intense

  • Tear gas chemicals activate pain and irritant sensors in the eyes, nose, mouth, and airways, which triggers strong reflexes like tearing, coughing, and gasping for air.
  • The goal in policing is to create overwhelming discomfort so people disperse, not necessarily to cause permanent injury—but real harm does occur, especially when misused.

Basic safety and first steps after exposure

This is general information, not medical advice. If anyone has trouble breathing, chest pain, vision loss, or is hit by a canister, emergency care is needed immediately.

  • Get to fresh air as quickly as possible, moving away and upwind from the cloud.
  • Blink and rinse eyes with plenty of clean water or saline; do not rub the eyes.
  • Remove and bag contaminated clothing; wash exposed skin gently with soap and water.
  • People with asthma or other lung disease should use their prescribed inhalers and seek urgent medical help if symptoms do not ease quickly.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.