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Tear gas has been known to cause miscarriage in pregnant people and is banned in war under the Geneva Convention, which are internationally agreed upon rules of warfare.
Despite this, local law enforcement agencies and the Ohio National Guard used tear gas in communities throughout Ohio as peaceful protests have supported the Black Lives Matter movement and called for justice for George Floyd and many others.
Tear gas is a collection of chemicals that cause skin, respiratory, and eye irritation. Despite the name, tear gas isn’t a gas. It’s a pressurized powder that creates a mist when deployed. Tear gas was used as a chemical weapon in World War I. However, it’s currently illegal for wartime use. In 1993, many of the world’s countries came together in Geneva to sign an international treaty to prevent chemical warfare. Article I(5) of the treaty states, “Each State Party undertakes not to use riot control agents as a method of warfare.” (Source)
After widespread use of tear gas on protestors in Bahrain in 2012, the international human rights group, Physicians for Human Rights, reported that several people miscarried after exposure, and one asthmatic man died. (Source 2, Source 3)
The University of Chile and the UN have also connected the use of tear gas to miscarriages. (Source 4, Source 5)
Ohioans are all struggling, along with a nation in turmoil.
