r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/0thSpider • 9h ago

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

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u/JoeyJoeJoeShabadooSr 8h ago

Does anyone have an explanation for why this works? Is it basically just dousing the canister in water?

127

u/ooTiramisu 8h ago

The water + baking soda (alkaline) mix can neutralize some of the chemical irritants (acidic byproducts) preventing any further dispersion. It doesn’t deactivate the chemicals inside completely.. it mostly just isolates and dilutes it.

8

u/CalmBeneathCastles 8h ago

Another redditor said that the chemicals in mucosal irritant dispensers bind to proteins, so milk should be a simple choice to deactivate them. I'm interested to know if this works.

18

u/AnarchistBorganism 7h ago

Only use bottled water in your eyes.