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# Police Weapons | |
## About Police Weapons | |
Police brutality | |
Be careful: people helping victims of police violence often become | |
targets of more police violence themselves. Try to get the injured | |
person and yourself out of immediate danger. | |
## Pepper spray and tear gas | |
If you can move away from where tear gas or pepper spray is being | |
used, the effect will wear off. Tear gas wears off quickly, pepper | |
spray can last an hour or more. | |
Face shield | |
Do not touch tear gas canisters with your hands. They are hot and | |
will burn you if you pick them up right away. | |
A water or vinegar-soaked bandana over the mouth and nose gives a | |
little protection. | |
Wet bandana | |
1. Watch breathing. | |
Pepper spray can cause severe breathing problems, especially in | |
people with asthma. This can be very frightening. Help the person | |
stay calm. | |
2. Flush eyes with lots of water. | |
Pour the water from the inside of the eye (near the nose) toward the | |
outside of the eye (near the ear). | |
3. Remove clothes | |
Remove clothes that have spray on them once you are in a safe place | |
and will not be exposed to any more spray or chemicals. | |
4. Clean the skin | |
Clean the skin, one area at a time (or just wait for the spray to | |
wear off): soak a cloth with mineral or vegetable oil. Wipe off one | |
area of skin using this oiled cloth. Then quickly remove the oil with | |
another cloth wet with alcohol. If the oil is left on for more than | |
30 seconds, it will mix with the chemical and burn the skin. If you | |
do not have oil and alcohol, just use a lot of water. Or just wait. | |
With time, the pain will go away. | |
## An eye and mouth rinse to relieve the burning of pepper spray | |
In a small bottle, mix 1/2 water, 1/2 liquid antacid (aluminum or | |
magnesium-based, such as Maalox). | |
For the eyes, hold the person's eye open and pour from the inside | |
(close to the nose) toward the outside of the eye (closer to the ear). | |
For the mouth, ask the person to swish the mixture inside the mouth | |
and spit it out. | |
This mixture can be of some help to rinse pepper spray off skin. | |
## Other police weapons | |
Rubber bullets, tear gas canisters, water cannons, and batons are all | |
used to cause bleeding, broken bones, or injuries or bleeding inside | |
the body. Injuries to the eye and head can be severe. Examine the | |
person head to toe. Watch for signs of internal bleeding or shock: | |
feeling faint, pale skin, dropping blood pressure and a weak, fast | |
pulse. The chapter Problems with the Eyes and Seeing has information | |
on treating injuries to the eye. | |
shock | |
eye injuries | |
> from NEW WHERE THERE IS NO DOCTOR © Hesperian Health Guides, | |
> 1919 Addison St Ste 304, Berkeley, CA, 94704, 1.510.845.1447, | |
> [email protected] | |