Pandemics, Protests, and Pollution

Experts worry about the hidden costs of deploying tear gas at protests

Tear gas and coronavirus are a dangerous mix right now. Some experts are concerned about the health impacts of tear gas on protesters, reports Drew Costley for OneZero. “Black people are especially vulnerable because their communities have been hit especially hard by the coronavirus, and they already bear disproportionately high burdens of disease,” he writes. Here’s more:

In the United States, the conversation about tear gas at protests must likewise focus on the health and environmental effects, especially on vulnerable communities participating in the protests.

Black and Latinx communities already bear the brunt of air pollution in the United States, facing disproportionately high rates of asthma and respiratory illness. And air pollution is particularly terrible in some of the cities where tear gas was deployed against protesters. Police used tear gas in Oakland, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and Atlanta — all of which are on the American Lung Association’s list of most polluted cities.

Read the full story below.

The Hidden Costs of Deploying Tear Gas at Protests