https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20945016
The only genuinely green gas I know of is elemental chlorine (Cl2), which could possibly be formed by heating the contents of these HC grenades -- the contents are ignited by a fuse and get hot enough to cause brush fires and the like. A variety of chemical reactions can take place under such circumstance, producing all manner of toxic and otherwise hazardous byproducts under relatively uncontrolled conditions. Cl2 is extremely irritant and very damaging to breathing passages if inhaled, harmful to eyes and other mucous membranes on contact. Cl2 was not *meant* to be the active agent, just ZnO/Al2O3 smoke (Al2O3 causes Shaver's Disease), but HCl and ZnCl2 (both strongly irritant) make plenty of fog w/natural humidity under most conditions. It's quite possible -- even likely -- the green color is a
dye deliberately added -- not all the details are available publicly, AFAIK. But a point to be emphasized is that these were meant to be *SMOKE* grenades, either drawing attention to a location when used as a marker (primary use), or obscuring vision when used against enemy troops. They were
never designed for riot control, but got "drafted" for that purpose by unscrupulous people who didn't/don't care about the consequences. Perfect for Trmpworld. Question: when, and how, exactly, were these "approved" for use in civilian crowd control ? Is their use
for this purpose even legal to begin with ? We attacked Saddam Hussein after he used chemical weapons against his own people, now DHS/ICE seems to be committing the same crime, which should be an impeachable offense.
What is clear is that they carry quite a mixture of toxic/carcinogenic/irritant compounds and their use against civilians should be outlawed. If they are heated internally (almost guaranteed) that only increases the number of possible toxic byproducts potentially produced. These need to be BANNED as a danger to public safety immediately, as they are in many other countries. The US Army regards this particular model as "obsolete", since non-toxic alternatives have long been available.
Wiki on HC grenades:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M18_smoke_grenade
Warning
The AN-M8 hand grenade produces harmful hydrochloric fumes that irritate the eyes, throat, and lungs. It should not be used in closed-in areas unless the users are wearing protective masks.[2]
Both the AN-M8 and the M18 risk starting a fire if used in a dry area. The steel casing, heated by the smoke-generating chemical reaction, can ignite flammable materials like trash or dry vegetation.
Wiki on HC gas:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexachloroethane#Use_as_smoke_agent
Use as smoke agent
Smoke grenades, called hexachloroethane smoke or HC smoke, utilize a mixture containing roughly equal parts of hexachloroethane and zinc oxide and approximately 6% granular aluminium. These smokes are toxic, which is attributed to the production of zinc chloride (ZnCl2).[8][9] According to Steinritz et al., "Due to its potential pulmonary toxicity," zinc chloride producing smoke grenades "have been discharged from the armory of most western countries (...)."[10] HC smoke inhalation can cause severe acute respiratory distress syndrome,[11][12][13] and one study found that it can cause permanent liver damage.[14]
Use as a riot control agent
Most documented uses of HC smoke as a riot control agent have occurred in the United States.[15][16][17]
Toxicity
Hexachloroethane is not particularly toxic when taken orally,[18] but is considered to be quite toxic by skin adsorption. The primary effect is depression of the central nervous system.[3] The concentration that is immediately dangerous to life or health is 300 ppm and the permissible exposure limit according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is 1 ppm (skin).[18] It is reasonably anticipated to be a carcinogen.[19]
I have a strong suspicion that some unscrupulous dealer in military surplus equipment obtained a big batch of these after production and distribution ceased and found a
sucker ^ profitable market ^ in DHS / ICE -- everyone else knew to avoid them.
***There is a publication -- which I can't access -- which describes, in detail, the pyrolytic reactions of a mixture with **calcium silicide** in place of aluminum (apparently this is the UK military's formulation); C2Cl6 and ZnO are still present.
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0010218070800451 As feared, there are a number of products from pyrolysis of C2Cl6, including Cl2, possible; it should not be assumed, however, that all are formed under the conditions of normal use.***
ETA: I just saw video of an ICE official tossing a green smoke grenade. That's definitely a green-dye smoke grenade.
= new reply since forum marked as read
