WEBVTT - What does tear gas do?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff from house Stuff Works dot Com, where

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<v Speaker 1>smart happens him Marshall Brain with today's question, what does

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<v Speaker 1>tear gas do? Tear gas is used both by the

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<v Speaker 1>police for crowd control and by individuals for self defense.

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<v Speaker 1>There are three kinds of tear gas in common use.

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<v Speaker 1>First there's CN, which is often sold as mace. Then

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<v Speaker 1>there's CS, which is stronger than CN but wears off

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<v Speaker 1>more quickly, and finally there's pepper spray made from cap

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<v Speaker 1>sasan from chili peppers mixed with a vehicle like corn oil.

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<v Speaker 1>Tear gas that you hear about on the news, in

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<v Speaker 1>the form of CN or CS is often used by

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<v Speaker 1>law enforcement when they face a combative crowd. The tear

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<v Speaker 1>gas is launched in the form of grenades or aerosol cans,

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<v Speaker 1>so the liquid becomes an aerosol. Both CN and CS

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<v Speaker 1>are irritants. They irritate mucus membranes and the eyes, nose, mouth,

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<v Speaker 1>and lungs and cause tearing, sneezing, coughing, and so on.

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<v Speaker 1>Pepper spray is an inflammatory agent that causes inflammation in

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<v Speaker 1>the eyes, nose, and mouth. Its effect is more debilitating,

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<v Speaker 1>but you have to hit someone with it directly for

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<v Speaker 1>it to be effective. This makes it more useful for

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<v Speaker 1>self defense because you can spray your assailant in the

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<v Speaker 1>face with it. It's also useful against attacking dogs and bearers.

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