RedPersonality
28th May 2010, 16:56
History:
In 1928 two American chemists,Corson and Stoughton, discovered a series of chemicals with strong irritating effects in the respiratory tract, including CS.In the 1950s, the chemical industry contacted research into alternative agents, due to the limited “effectiveness” of CN. The British Chemical Defence Experimental Establishment developed CS, which was first applied by the British during the invasion in Cyprus in 1958 - 59. Following this “successful” application, CS was soon standardized by the US armed forces and was broadly applied during Vietnam War for tunnel denial,where there were many casualties due to suffocation and pulmonary edema.Its use was quite common for military purposes between 1968 and 1969, as well as during the civil war in N. Ireland.In the USA, after the protests of 1967 in Newark and Detroit, the use of irritating agents gained ground.CR was developed by the British Ministry of Defense, but its use was limited, due to the lack of data regarding its repercussions. OC was first used by the US Police Force during the 1970s and since 1989, it has been massively used by the FBI.
CS Gas
Breath-taking policies
By Niki Chronopoulou, Chemist
The use of tear gas is against the international Law, given the fact that according to the Geneva Protocol (the USA being the only country that have not signed it) and the Chemical Weapons Convention, the use of all types of chemical, bacteriological and biological substances in war is outlawed.Nevertheless, in many countries, their use by the police forces is legal (e.g. CS was used by the Israelis against Palestinian protestors in the Palestinian territory, by the South Korean Government in Seoul, against protestors in Lusaka, Zambia in 1997, against World Trade Organization protestors in 1999 in Seattle e.t.c), while some types of such weapons (e.g. pepper spray) are legalized to be used even by civilians!In Greece, the Chemical Weapons Convention was validated by the Law 2254/94 and was brought in force by the Law 2991/2002.However, these laws concern the prohibition of chemical weapons intended for use at war.On the contrary, the “aims of maintenance of public order, including also the repression of riots in the State” are considered as “aims that are not prohibited by the present convention” (Law 2254/94, ar.2, par. 9).Results of experiments on guinea pigs have shown that the exposure to such substances is responsible for teratogeneses, carcinogeneses, clastrogenic and mutagenic effects.In the international bibliography, there are various cases of casualties, due to the use of tear gases, both in open and confined spaces (e.g. one person in Hamburg in 1960, three people in New York prisons in 1975, a young protestor in Brockdorf, Germany in 1986, two Korean students in 1987, and at least 68 people in the Palestinian concentration camps during 1987 – 1988).The use of these dangerous chemicals as a means of repression of the popular and labour movements is one more example of the way the scientific achievements are exploited within the existing capitalist system and to benefit of the ruling class.We need to take action and organize our response to these forms of state violence. Scientists must take responsibility and investigate in depth the consequences of the use of such chemicals both to man and the e n v i r o n m e n t , taking into c o n s i d e r a t i o n , however, the p o p u l a r interest and not the interest of the capitalist system.In this context, it would be useful that the WFTU organized an international meeting of scientists, in order to thoroughly examine the matter in its full dimension: at medical, political, legal, trade-union level.It is also very important to launch an international effort to raise the awareness of workers and youth, people on the repercussions of the use of chemical weapons use for the repression of labour, popular, youth movements, aiming to further unite and mobilize people, so as to forbid their use in practice, to resist this type of state violence against anyone fighting for his/her rights.
An article from the magazine of WFTU,Reflects.
In 1928 two American chemists,Corson and Stoughton, discovered a series of chemicals with strong irritating effects in the respiratory tract, including CS.In the 1950s, the chemical industry contacted research into alternative agents, due to the limited “effectiveness” of CN. The British Chemical Defence Experimental Establishment developed CS, which was first applied by the British during the invasion in Cyprus in 1958 - 59. Following this “successful” application, CS was soon standardized by the US armed forces and was broadly applied during Vietnam War for tunnel denial,where there were many casualties due to suffocation and pulmonary edema.Its use was quite common for military purposes between 1968 and 1969, as well as during the civil war in N. Ireland.In the USA, after the protests of 1967 in Newark and Detroit, the use of irritating agents gained ground.CR was developed by the British Ministry of Defense, but its use was limited, due to the lack of data regarding its repercussions. OC was first used by the US Police Force during the 1970s and since 1989, it has been massively used by the FBI.
CS Gas
Breath-taking policies
By Niki Chronopoulou, Chemist
The use of tear gas is against the international Law, given the fact that according to the Geneva Protocol (the USA being the only country that have not signed it) and the Chemical Weapons Convention, the use of all types of chemical, bacteriological and biological substances in war is outlawed.Nevertheless, in many countries, their use by the police forces is legal (e.g. CS was used by the Israelis against Palestinian protestors in the Palestinian territory, by the South Korean Government in Seoul, against protestors in Lusaka, Zambia in 1997, against World Trade Organization protestors in 1999 in Seattle e.t.c), while some types of such weapons (e.g. pepper spray) are legalized to be used even by civilians!In Greece, the Chemical Weapons Convention was validated by the Law 2254/94 and was brought in force by the Law 2991/2002.However, these laws concern the prohibition of chemical weapons intended for use at war.On the contrary, the “aims of maintenance of public order, including also the repression of riots in the State” are considered as “aims that are not prohibited by the present convention” (Law 2254/94, ar.2, par. 9).Results of experiments on guinea pigs have shown that the exposure to such substances is responsible for teratogeneses, carcinogeneses, clastrogenic and mutagenic effects.In the international bibliography, there are various cases of casualties, due to the use of tear gases, both in open and confined spaces (e.g. one person in Hamburg in 1960, three people in New York prisons in 1975, a young protestor in Brockdorf, Germany in 1986, two Korean students in 1987, and at least 68 people in the Palestinian concentration camps during 1987 – 1988).The use of these dangerous chemicals as a means of repression of the popular and labour movements is one more example of the way the scientific achievements are exploited within the existing capitalist system and to benefit of the ruling class.We need to take action and organize our response to these forms of state violence. Scientists must take responsibility and investigate in depth the consequences of the use of such chemicals both to man and the e n v i r o n m e n t , taking into c o n s i d e r a t i o n , however, the p o p u l a r interest and not the interest of the capitalist system.In this context, it would be useful that the WFTU organized an international meeting of scientists, in order to thoroughly examine the matter in its full dimension: at medical, political, legal, trade-union level.It is also very important to launch an international effort to raise the awareness of workers and youth, people on the repercussions of the use of chemical weapons use for the repression of labour, popular, youth movements, aiming to further unite and mobilize people, so as to forbid their use in practice, to resist this type of state violence against anyone fighting for his/her rights.
An article from the magazine of WFTU,Reflects.