# Are there any long term effects from tear gas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 5, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-long-term-effects-from-tear-gas/736721 "2015-11-05T16:03:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-long-term-effects-from-tear-gas/736721/1 "2015-11-05T16:03:17Z")
I am handling in a case in which a gentleman exposed to tear gas later developed lung nodules. He alleges that the nodules were caused by (brief) tear gas exposure at work (the sort of exposure they do army/law enforcement training). I can find no evidence for this. Is there any research showing that tear gas has long term effects on the respiratory system? ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-long-term-effects-from-tear-gas/736721/2 "2015-11-05T16:35:39Z")
Does he by any chance remember the [actual agent?](http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/833315-overview) “Tear gas” can be used pretty generically. CS and CN are the two most likely that come to mind. A small cohort study for the effect of CS from 2003 includes this > [@](#): > > The modest amount of published work on CS spray, however, points to safety. Serious morbidity, when it has occurred, was probably due to overexposure or overuse. Even in the litigious environment of the United States, where CS spray has been used for 35 years, no damages have ever been awarded to victims. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-long-term-effects-from-tear-gas/736721/3 "2015-11-10T23:07:09Z")
Gah, forgot about this thread. **DinoR** , he doesn’t know and the agency doesn’t know because the training was done by an outside vendor. I am reasonably certain it was CS, though. Thanks for the link! ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-long-term-effects-from-tear-gas/736721/4 "2015-11-11T02:28:44Z")
Anecdotally, I have been gassed a few times. No lingering affects (that I have noticed, and Basic was over 20 years ago).