Laishram Ranbir
So far we have witness the use of tear gas shells and mob bombs to disperse agitators at various places of the state who came out in the streets protesting against the government for non-fulfillment of their demands.
Unfortunately no one notice that most of the tear gas shells and mock bombs use against them has been expired and the release gases could turn toxic to human. This has been taken up by Imphal Times earlier too, but government authority continue to use the toxic contain expired tear gas shells and mock bombs.
Yesterday too, our reporter found out that the tear gas shells and the mock bombs use to disperse the student agitators at Singjamei and Tera area by State police were expired one.
According to experts tear gas when expired turns toxic, and far more dangerous to humans and other organisms. It can cause severe pulmonary damage, and the chemical compound 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile which is the main constituent of tear gas shells, popularly known as the CS gas, have also been known to cause significant damage to the heart and liver, as have been reported in some cases.
As according to expert, tear gas turns toxic on expiry which had dangerous health effects. The tear gas can cause permanent blindness, chemical burns, miscarriages, fatal exacerbation of Asthmatics, seizures and even death if canister hit the person directly.
“It’s not clear how that might affect people differently from unexpired gas. The paper writes: “Some experts contend that expired tear gas may lead to more dangerous health effects than its non-expired counterpart — for people heavily exposed to it.”
It is shocking that Manipur a peaceful and democratic state would have to resort to using tear gas and mock bomb on its own students, and what’s more shocking is that the tear gas and mock bomb they used were expired.
Outdated pyrotechnic items which include tear gas, are considered hazardous waste as per “The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act” of 1976 and disposal of this items must be done in accordance with “Environmental Protection Agency” waste management regulations.
All commercial munitions which include tear gas, after expiry date are no longer guaranteed to function as designated. Using outdated munitions are prohibited under law and open a liability on the operator.
However the most shocking part is that some people are collecting these shells and selling it to some mysterious buyers, who are apparently being paid a very high price for the canisters.
The question is will the Manipur government book those people responsible for the supply of expired tear gas shells and mock bombs or Is it intentionally used by state police force.
