Original contribution
Prevention of CS “tear gas” eye and skin effects and active decontamination with Diphoterine: Preliminary studies in 5 French Gendarmes

Presented at the CBMTS-IV (Chemical Biological Medical Treatment Symposium-IV), Spiez, Switzerland, April 28–May 3, 2002.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2005.01.002Get rights and content

Abstract

Ortho-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS) “tear gas” is a lacrimating riot control agent causing eye irritation, excessive lacrimation, and blepharospasm. Diphoterine® has been efficacious for decontamination of a wide variety of eye and skin chemical splashes and was tested in CS exposure. Five French Gendarmes either entered a standard training CS exposure chamber, developed eye or skin signs and symptoms, and were post-exposure decontaminated with Diphoterine or used Diphoterine as pre-CS exposure prophylaxis in the eyes and on the face before entering the chamber. Gendarmes who entered the CS chamber without prior application of Diphoterine developed expected effects of excessive lacrimation, eye irritation, and blepharospasm. After post-exposure Diphoterine decontamination, in four Gendarmes these effects rapidly resolved and they were fully operational. When Diphoterine was applied to the eyes and face before entering the CS chamber, the expected effects did not occur and the single Gendarme remained fully operational on exiting the chamber. These results suggest that Diphoterine can prevent or rapidly ameliorate the ocular and dermal effects of CS and allow law enforcement personnel to remain fully operational or rapidly regain operational status after decontamination.

Introduction

Diphoterine® is an active eye and skin decontamination solution that has been tested and safely used for eye and skin splashes with a wide variety of irritant and corrosive chemical compounds, including acids, bases, oxidizing agents, reducing agents, alklyating agents, and solvents (1). It is a polyvalent, amphoteric, hypertonic, chelating compound with six active binding sites for the above types of chemicals. Diphoterine is essentially non-toxic (rat LD50s > 2000 mg/kg by the oral and dermal routes). It was not irritating to the eyes of normal human volunteers and rabbits, was not irritating to the skin in rats, and was only a mild skin irritant in a few animals when applied to abraded rabbit skin (1). Its decontamination residues after in vitro reaction with strong acid or base were also not irritating to rabbit eyes (1).

French Gendarmes are required to undergo periodic training involving exposure to ortho-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS) tear gas in an exposure chamber (enclosed space). Because of the known safety of Diphoterine and its reported use in a wide variety of chemical eye and skin splashes, preliminary human volunteer studies of its potential efficacy in ameliorating or preventing the ocular and dermal effects of CS were performed in five French Gendarmes undergoing required periodic CS exposure training.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Diphoterine, provided by Laboratoire Prevor, Valmondois, France, was tested for its efficacy in decontaminating or preventing the lacrimating and facial skin irritant effects of CS. Five volunteer Gendarmes were exposed to CS during a required periodic training exercise in the same setting and with the same CS exposure conditions as are normally encountered during such training where no prophylactic or decontamination measures are usually made available. The five volunteer Gendarmes were

Experiment 1

When two volunteer Gendarmes entered the CS exposure chamber, the immediate effects were coughing and a suffocating sensation. The CS exposure also resulted in significant excessive lacrimation, conjunctival irritation, reflex palpebral occlusion, and intense photophobia. After developing these signs and symptoms, the two Gendarmes immediately exited the chamber and were decontaminated by an unexposed person with 250 mL of Diphoterine from a low-pressure spray container. There was no increase

Discussion

CS “tear gas” (ortho-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile) is a lacrimating and irritant riot control agent that has been used for many years and is generally considered to be relatively harmless when utilized for normal law enforcement activities (3, 4, 5). It is not actually a gas, but is rather an aerosol suspension of solid particles. Common, usually short-duration and self-limited effects are dermal irritation, superficial skin burns, eye (conjunctival) irritation, excessive lacrimation, and

Acknowledgments

Funding for translation from the French, congress presentation, and editing for publication in English was provided by Laboratoire Prevor, Valmondois, France.

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