Thread by @OversightDems

NEW: Chairs @CongressmanRaja and @RepRaskin released a staff memo revealing that the federal government does not regulate the use of tear gas on humans and has never determined if such use is safe.
oversight.house.gov/news/press-rel…

The memo also found that tear gas manufacturers have willingly taken advantage of the lack of federal tear gas regulation and that the health effects of tear gas on humans is still woefully understudied.

Below are highlights from the memo 👇

The federal government does not regulate the safety of tear gas used against people in the United States and has not conducted epidemiological research to determine whether it is safe to use.

The limited studies that have been conducted on the health effects of tear gas show that risks from exposure include acute respiratory illness and gastrointestinal and menstrual effects.

U.S. tear gas manufacturers acknowledge that tear gas is dangerous and that “injury and/or damage can be expected,” whenever it is used.

U.S. tear gas manufacturers have earned significant revenue from selling tear gas products, despite the known serious risks tear gas poses to human health and safety.

In the absence of federal guidance, manufacturers and law enforcement have free rein to self-regulate.

Tear gas manufacturers defer to law enforcement, and some law enforcement associations have failed to implement strict standards for tear gas use,

with one association claiming law enforcement does not need a “formula” to determine whether it is safe to use tear gas because they “don’t need a formula to use other forms of force.”