Here’s how tear gas used at protests could spread coronavirus, experts say

Police across the country have used tear gas on demonstrators protesting the death of 46-year-old George Floyd — a black man who died after a now-fired police officer kneeled on his neck for more than 8 minutes — and health officials say the chemical agent could make the coronavirus spread more easily.

Tear gas refers to several “riot agents” which are made up of chemical compounds that cause irritation to the eyes, mouth, throat, lungs and skin, McClatchy News reported.

Ayesha Appa, an infectious disease doctor at University of California San Francisco, told the Mercury News that using tear gas on protesters during the coronavirus pandemic is especially “cruel.”

Tear gas “seems like a particularly cruel intervention at this time in which the country is facing a respiratory virus that is sweeping the country with unprecedented rates of disease,” she told the newspaper.

David Eisenman, a professor of medicine and public health at University of California, Los Angeles, echoed Appa’s concerns.

“During this time when we’re protesting police brutality, the use of tear gas is causing more harm in the way of spreading COVID,” he told LAist.

Why? Because of its effects.

Tear gas can cause a host of symptoms including tearing and burning of the eyes, runny nose, drooling, coughing, vomiting and chest tightness, McClatchy reported. The effects typically last 15 to 30 minutes.

The excessive coughing, sneezing and shouting caused by tear gas means that more respiratory droplets are emitted, increasing the chance of coronavirus transmission, Dr. Payal Kohli told WUSA.

The coronavirus is believed to spread when a person breathes in the respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“These secretions, if you are an asymptomatic carrier, are indeed infectious,’’ disease researcher Michael Schmidt told The State. “They can contaminate sleeves or clothing.’’

Sven-Eric Jordt is a researcher at Duke University who has studied the effects of tear gas. He told the New York Times that he’s been shocked to see how often police have used the agent during George Floyd protests.

“I’m really concerned that this might catalyze a new wave of COVID-19,” he told the Times.

The United States has more than 1.8 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 106,000 deaths as of Wednesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Those attending protests should wear masks, eye wear and long sleeves to help prevent coronavirus transmission, Kohli told WUSA. They should also carry hand sanitizer and avoid wearing makeup and contacts, the doctor said.

“Also, don’t touch your face, and try to get tested five days after you go to protests or sooner if there’s any symptoms,” she told the outlet.

The violence and “looting” at protests across the nation is being done by much smaller groups at mostly peaceful gatherings, authorities say. The vast majority of the protesters across the nation have been “peaceful demonstrators calling for change,” law enforcement officials told ABC News.

This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 8:34 AM with the headline "Here’s how tear gas used at protests could spread coronavirus, experts say."