At least a few people caught in police tear gas assaults at the G20 are reporting ongoing negative side effects from the chemical. In the cases I know about it is a prolonged menstruation lasting, as of this date, 17 days in all three cases.
In doing a little investigation, very little so far, it turns out that both tear gas and pepper spray are known to cause dangerous side effects, particularly in people with pre-existing conditions, but even in otherwise healthy people. It is actually illegal, under international law, to use either substance in warfare and police and politicians are well aware of this.
I won't go on quoting specific articles though I will suggest a few for reading.
First from Now Magazine way back in 2001 and a good overview from Common Dreams published in the wake of the 1999 Seattle WTO riots. There is also this bit of info from the Montreal Mirror.
I am not a doctor or a lawyer but if you were exposed to tear gas or pepper spray at the G20 and are experiencing any health problems they could be related to the chemical exposure. Get yourself to a doctor and if you'd like to get in touch either via email at beach.justin at gmail.com or via Facebook and I'll put you in touch with others. Sharing information going forward would be a good idea in terms of your health and potential legal action.
Posts
1 comments:
thanks so much for this posting. i felt like a conspiracy theorist or something, so it's been hard for me to talk about the fact that I started menstruating in the middle of my monthly cycle and that it hasn't gone away yet. fortunately, a friend of mine who was also at queen's park on saturday with me is having the same symptoms. we were both curious to know if other women were having these experiences too.
Post a Comment