On the cover of the Chicago Tribune today they’ve got a photo of a young Middle Eartern man (I forget the exact nationality, location, etc.) whose face is covered with a white substance. The caption states that he smeared his face with toothpaste to couteract the effects of tear gas. Does this work? I know I heard somewhere that Cher uses toothpaste on her face to fight blemishes, but this is yet another use for the stuff that I’ve never heard of.
I very much doubt it.
Tear gas irritates the eyes and the mucous membranes in the mouth/nose/throat. Toothpaste on your face won’t stop you from inhaling the gas and start coughing & crying.
It might prevent irritation if a droplet of the gas actually touches the skin, but if you’re in an area with a concentration that high, you’ll be pretty well incapacitated anyway.
Of course, some people have higher tolerances than other - and once you’ve been teargassed a few times, you’ll be better able to avoid panic and the incapacitating effect is way lessened.
S. Norman