Thread by @sejordt

@ats_eoph @SOToxicology The 25th Conference of State Parties #CSP25 of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons @OPCW started today in The Hague. Will #CSP25 address the escalation of #teargas use world-wide ?

https://twitter.com/OPCW/status/1333376160374411264

Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, riot control agents, including tear gas and pepper weapons, are categorized as chemical weapons. The CWC bans the use of riot control agents in warfare, but allows their use by member states for domestic law enforcement.

While member states are required to declare which types of riot control agents they use, the CWC does not list any rules or limitations on their domestic use, leaving this to member states.

The absence of limitations on #teargas use in international law is one of the reasons why most countries have no laws or regulations limiting their domestic use. In the United States, there is no federal or state regulation overseeing use by law enforcement agencies.

The Scientific Advisory Board of the @OPCW reviewed the safety of chemicals used as riot control agents in 2018
pubs.rsc.org/en/content/art…

"... based on acute exposure in outdoor scenarios where the chemicals would be present in low dilution in air, in non-enclosed spaces, with the people affected able to escape unimpeded from the irritant cloud."

Member states have frequently violated these use conditions, using massive amounts of #teargas in dense city environments (Hong Kong), kettling protestors and leaving no escape routes (United States).

The @opcw board "recognised that very high concentrations of the same chemicals projected into enclosed spaces, and a delayed egress of those exposed, could result in health effects of a greater severity."

"These effects might, under such circumstances, lead to temporary incapacitation, permanent harm, or even death."

The unprecedented long-term use of #teargas for weeks or months was not even anticipated by the @opcw Scientific Advisory Board.

The @OPCW #CSP25 needs to amend the Chemical Weapons Convention to prohibit member states from escalating the use of #teargas . Most safety information is outdated.

The @atscommunity American Thoracic Society, the professional organization of lung physicians and scientists, has called for a moratorium on #teargas use, especially in the time of #Covid19 .
thoracic.org/about/newsroom…

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