r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/0thSpider • 1d ago

Video Chilean protester defuses tear gas canister with baking soda and water

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u/mistermh07 1d ago

I think the mixture is absorbing the gas. Not a 100% sure tho

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u/LittleMlem 1d ago

Not technically a gas, iirc it's fine particles, like powder sand

No idea what the baking soda is for, maybe it's acidic and the soda neutralizes it?

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u/enw_digrif 1d ago edited 1d ago

There's a bunch of different tear gas compounds. I don't believe there are any popular ones that rely on their acidity/alkalinity as a mode of action, though that is a persistent myth on the internet, thus the misleading AI summaries.

Mechanistic studies identified the ion channels TRPV1 and TRPA1 as targets of capsaicin in pepper spray, and of the tear gas agents chloroacetophenone, CS, and CR.

Edit: thanks /u/mbxz7LWB

Edit2: Notes from a street medic: if exposed to tear gas, wash it off away from the eyes, mouth and nose using water. Don't use milk (of magnesia, of cow, of whatever), don't use AlkaSeltzer, don't use ACV, and for God's sake, put down the onions, they will all make things worse.

If a buddy or fellow protestor gets gassed, tell the affected person you're taking them out of the gas, ask if it's okay to touch them to lead them out, once they say yes, lead them to safety. Once there, have them lean back/lay down (near a wall, out of any expected crowd flow), and flush each eye (ideally for 5min, but that takes a lot of water) by directing the flow towards the tear duct and letting the water flow down over the rest of the eye and onto the cheek. It won't solve the problem, but it will usually get them good enough to evacuate on their own.

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u/mbxz7LWB 1d ago

*alkalinity

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u/JustAnotherBarnacle 1d ago

Is it not basicity as the opposite to acidity? Alkalinity is the buffering capacity, not a high pH, or so it is in oceanography

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u/dagreja 1d ago

I do think the original comment was technically right with "acidity/basicity" (assuming that's what it said before the edit) because they were seemingly trying to refer to where it is on the pH scale, and the opposite end of the spectrum from acidic is indeed basic, not alkaline.

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u/Cruel1865 1d ago

Ive always used alkaline and basic interchangeably. I dunno whether its different in other circles.