hey twitter.

so after seeing so many innocent people getting tear gassed at peaceful protests today, i decided to put my B.S. in chemistry to work and research the chemicals present in tear gas and give advice on how to protect yourself

A THREAD

so the chemical used in tear gasses in the US is called 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile, or CS. for all you organic chemists out there, here is a pic of its structure. for all you non-orgo chemists, enjoy these cool lines and letters

this molecule is polar, which means it’s gonna cling to any moisture it comes in contact with. so anything with water in or on you is going to contract this. that means your eyes, your saliva, your nose, and possibly your lungs too. and your skin if you’re sweaty

how do you neautralize it? this chemical LOVES water. so WATER! bring bottles of water with LIDS for safety. continue to pour it over affected areas. basically the chemical is gonna follow the most water, so keep rinsing with copious amounts of water!!

DO NOT and let me repeat DO NOT use water that was out in the open (e.g. from a puddle) to get the chemical out. because if it was exposed to the gas, that water HAS THE CS GAS IN IT. it will make you worse.

to protect yourself:

1. WEAR A MASK. this is practical for COVID-19 anyway. it will do a decent job of protecting your airways. if the mask is wet, it will do an even better job of stopping the gas from getting in you, but you run the risk of trapping it as well.

2. DON’T WEAR CONTACTS LENSES. if you get that chemical trapped between your contact lens and your eye, ouch. just...ouch.

3. DON’T WEAR EXCESS MAKEUP. this is going to trap moisture, and as we can see, moisture is the enemy

4. WEAR GOGGLES. not the most trendy, i know, but it is really the only way you can protect your eyes.

5. BRING WATER!! a peaceful protest may turn into an event where police use tear gas on the people very quickly, and you just want to be prepared.

i shouldn’t have to tweet a thread like this. yet here we are. if you are going to a protest, please be safe. but practice your 1st ammendment. i hope this thread helps #BlackLivesMatter #RestInPowerGeorgeFloyd