Ep 207 Tear Gas: How can a chemical weapon be “humane”?

This episode of 'This Podcast Will Kill You' dives deep into the controversial history and modern use of tear gas, exposing the contradiction between its portrayal as a 'humane' tool for crowd control and its actual effects on human health and civil liberties. The hosts trace tear gas from its origins in World War I, where it was initially used as a weapon of war, to its transformation in the 1920s into a domestic policing tool promoted by figures like U.S. General Amos Fries, who framed it as a safe, non-lethal alternative to lethal force. Despite being banned in international warfare under the 1925 Geneva Protocol, tear gas remains legal for use against citizens in the U.S. and many other countries, often deployed disproportionately against left-leaning and marginalized protests. The episode reveals how the narrative of 'non-lethal' and 'humane' use is deeply misleading, with real-world consequences including severe respiratory damage, eye injuries, psychological trauma, and even death. The hosts highlight the lack of federal regulation, the profit-driven 'riot control industrial complex,' and the normalization of tear gas through widespread media visibility, which paradoxically increases its acceptance rather than accountability. The episode concludes with a call to question the status quo and demand transparency, safety research, and alternatives to chemical violence. Key takeaways include: tear gas is not a gas but a solid chemical dispersed as smoke or powder; it is not safe or humane, despite official claims; its use is often politically biased and escalates rather than de-escalates conflict; long-term health effects are under-researched and underreported; and the lack of regulation and transparency makes it a dangerous tool of state power. The episode underscores that the real harm lies not just in the chemicals themselves, but in the systemic decisions that allow their unchecked deployment.