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Hong Kong health chief says no evidence tear gas poses public health risks
Where have I heard THAT shit before?????HONG KONG FREE PRESS
20 November 2019 23:27 Hong Kong Free Press
ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH HONG KONG POLITICS & PROTEST
Hong Kong health chief says no evidence tear gas poses public health risks
Hong Kong health chief has said that there is no evidence to back the claims that tear gas poses major public health and environmental risks.
“We have conducted internal studies on whether tear gas will produce dioxin or cyanide,” Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan told the Legislative Council at a Q&A session on Wednesday. “We found no evidence based on existing research and academic literature that tear gas will generate dioxin.”
Hong Kong police have fired thousands of rounds of tear gas since widespread protests broke out in June. The force said it used 1,567 rounds of tear gas last Wednesday alone in response to clashes that erupted across the territory.
The frequent use of tear gas by the Hong Kong police has prompted public health concerns. Last week, a Stand News journalist who has frequently reported from the protest frontlines said that he had been diagnosed with chloracne, a skin condition that has been linked directly to exposure to dioxin-like substances.
Chan said earlier this month that she had “limited” information about the chemical composition of the tear gas used by police. On Wednesday, lawmakers asked how the health chief could be sure that tear gas and its residue were harmless if she was not fully informed.
“We have conducted internal studies on whether tear gas will produce dioxin or cyanide,” Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan told the Legislative Council at a Q&A session on Wednesday. “We found no evidence based on existing research and academic literature that tear gas will generate dioxin.”
Hong Kong police have fired thousands of rounds of tear gas since widespread protests broke out in June. The force said it used 1,567 rounds of tear gas last Wednesday alone in response to clashes that erupted across the territory.
The frequent use of tear gas by the Hong Kong police has prompted public health concerns. Last week, a Stand News journalist who has frequently reported from the protest frontlines said that he had been diagnosed with chloracne, a skin condition that has been linked directly to exposure to dioxin-like substances.
Chan said earlier this month that she had “limited” information about the chemical composition of the tear gas used by police. On Wednesday, lawmakers asked how the health chief could be sure that tear gas and its residue were harmless if she was not fully informed.
snip
In response, Sophia Chan said that police could not disclose such information given its sensitive nature but cited the force as saying that the burning time of tear gas was short enough that any cyanide produced would quickly disperse in the air.
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2019/11/20/hong-kong-health-chief-says-no-evidence-tear-gas-poses-public-health-risks/?fbclid=IwAR3uFKRWwVVU2By-9WVkqKhmiTuaiI97tzZAtGvNMYOVyHX6VB3a-T1JY84
