Chicago might see less tear gas as Operation Midway Blitz diminishes. And, when it is used, it might be less effective in colder, wetter weather. But wind adds a factor of unpredictability for a less-lethal chemical that some experts say shouldn’t really be used outdoors at all.
Pepper balls also can behave differently as temperatures drop.
“If you have cold weather, the tear gas will stay closer to the ground,” says Dennis Cole, a retired 31-year member of the San Diego sheriff’s department who is a chemical agent instructor for law enforcement agencies around the country.
He says rain and snow help keep the powder from tear gas and pepper balls on the ground.
Since the start of the stepped-up deportation effort eight weeks ago, federal agents have used tear gas and pepper balls near the Broadview ICE facility and in a few Chicago neighborhoods.
Tear gas isn’t actually a gas. It’s a powder that, heated and mixed with a solvent, is released as an aerosol. It causes crying, coughing, difficulty breathing, pain in the eyes and temporary blindness. Symptoms usually start within 30 seconds and last about 30 minutes.
Pepper balls are meant to be used at long range. Agents fire them from weapons similar to paintball guns. Pepper balls burst on impact, releasing a fine powder whose key ingredient is derived from capsaicin — what gives chili peppers their heat.
Patrick Moffett, an environmental-industrial hygienist from Huntington Beach, California, says colder weather means less of the powder in tear-gas canisters is likely to be released.
When Midway Blitz started, 250 agents arrived in Chicago. Sources say federal authorities plan to keep 100 agents in Chicago for now, then ramp up to 1,000 agents in March.
Federal agents have been using tear gas and pepper balls only outdoors, but it works best indoors, says Chet Epperson, who was Rockford’s police chief for 10 years. “The intent of tear gas is to stop people, startle people, get them in a fog because you want to carry out some police practice.”
When law enforcement uses tear gas indoors, it’s usually to flush out a person barricaded inside a building, often threatening violence and sometimes holding hostages.
Deploying tear gas and pepper balls outdoors isn’t as effective and risks that people not being targeted might be affected, Epperson says.
“If it’s windy, it could have a reverse impact,” he says. “It could come back on you. It could go on other people. It could travel down the street.”
On Oct. 4, during a skirmish between residents and federal agents in Brighton Park, Chicago police officers were coughing and choking after the agents deployed “less lethal” chemical agents despite being warned by the police that officers didn’t have gas masks.
In September, Broadview police Chief Thomas Mills said the use of “less lethal” munitions was creating a “dangerous situation for the community and all first-responders” and that several of his officers were affected by tear-gas fumes. Neighboring residents described similar effects.
Though acute symptoms of tear gas and pepper balls usually wear off in 30 minutes, the particles can linger for years.
Nate Berg, owner of Scene Clean in Osseo, Minnesota, which cleans biohazard and crime scenes, says tear gas, when “used outside, it will eventually just soak into the ground. But, if it’s windy outside, the wind will pick it up and blow it into people’s homes and apartments. … It will eventually settle from the air, and you’ll be able to walk in and not feel its effects. But the moment you agitate a surface that it’s on, you’ll feel it again. We’ve cleaned places that were tear-gassed years prior.”
Experts say the risk to pets is minimal.
Some protesters have tried to wash away tear gas and pepper-ball particles with water or milk. But Berg says that won’t always work to remove the particles from clothing or surfaces in cars and homes. Some soft items — like furniture, curtains and clothing — are nearly impossible to decontaminate and might need to be tossed, while others will need to be washed with specialty cleaning agents, according to Berg.
But you don’t necessarily need to bring in a biohazard cleaning company, Epperson says.
“If you’re in a confined space, it’s gonna linger in a room,” he says. “The first thing most people should do is fumigate the house, open all the windows up. You can use soap and water. And, if it’s still there, then call a biohazard company.”
While winter weather could reduce the effectiveness of less-lethal chemicals, Cole says the face masks and scarves that people often wear when it’s cold could worsen the effects of tear gas and pepper balls: “It can trap it near their face, and that will hurt more.”
But he also says winter wear can protect against the sting of pepper balls and make it less likely they’ll break and release their powder.
“If they’re wearing a down jacket or a thick jacket, the pepper balls may not break,” Cole says.
