Politics and medicine crossed paths when slap/tear gas led to neck injury in Ekiti. But how true is this claim?
“I’m in severe pain”
Governor Fayose of Ekiti told journalists during a tour of media houses while wearing a neck brace
This week, the political drama in Ekiti southwest Nigeria leading to the state’s gubernatorial election holding this weekend reached its peak when the governor of the state, Ayodele Fayose, appeared on TV with a neck brace and suspend arm. He claimed he suffered neck (and arm?) injury after he was attacked by the policemen with teargas.
There were mixed feelings on social media regarding this claim. Since some Nigerians including the social media of the major opposition party, the PDP, are presenting this argument, it is worthy to fact check that claim regarding the side effects of tear gas.
How does tear gas exposure feels like?
Tear gas exposure causes severe irritation to the mucus membranes, and as a result, the eyes, nose, and throat will begin to sting, swell, and produce more mucous.
The most severe side effects are severe eye and respiratory pain, skin irritation, bleeding, and even blindness.
In the eye, tear gas works by stimulating the nerves of the lacrimal gland to produce tears.
Common lachrymators include pepper spray (OC gas), PAVA spray (nonivamide), CS gas, CR gas, CN gas (phenacyl chloride), bromoacetone, xylyl bromide, syn-propanethial-S-oxide (from onions), and Mace (a branded mixture).
Tear gas consists of aerosolized solid compounds, not gas.
Its actions mainly target mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, mouth and lungs, and causes crying, sneezing, coughing, difficulty breathing, pain in the eyes, and temporary blindness. With CS gas, symptoms of irritation typically appear after 20–60 seconds of exposure and are commonly resolve within 30 minutes of leaving (or being removed from) the area. With pepper spray (also called “oleoresin capsicum”, capsaicinoid or OC gas), the onset of symptoms, including loss of motor control, is almost immediate.
The good thing about tear gas exposure is that the symptoms are usually temporary, lasting one to two hours at most, and treatment is generally simple.
People who are exposed to this chemical weapon have experienced violent reactions to their respiratory system and mucous membranes. Common side effects include:
- Coughing
- Shortness of breath
- Heightened lung problems
- Delayed menstruation
- Miscarriages and stillbirths
- Damages to the heart and liver
- Death (in cases of extreme exposure)
None of these require neck support.
Worst case scenarios
While the medical consequences of the gases themselves are typically limited to minor skin inflammation, delayed complications are also possible: people with pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma, who are particularly at risk, are likely to need medical attention and may sometimes require hospitalization or even ventilation support. Skin exposure to CS may cause chemical burns or induce allergic contact dermatitis. When people are hit at close range or are severely exposed, eye injuries involving scarring of the cornea can lead to a permanent loss in visual acuity. Frequent or high levels of exposure carry increased risks of respiratory illness.
Some common ways to remediate the symptoms of tear gas exposure include:
- Flushing your eyes. If you wear contact lenses, be sure to remove them before you begin rinsing your eyes. Once your contacts are removed, tilt your head to the side (towards the eye that you are going to flush) and allow cool water to stream from the inside corner of the eye to the outside. Repeat on the other side.
- Changing your clothes. The chemicals found in tear gas can seep into your clothes and cause ongoing symptoms, so it is imperative to remove contaminated clothing as soon as possible.
- Taking a cold shower. Be sure to avoid hot water, as it can open the pores and make the stinging sensation worse.
- Wipe off your skin: Use a towel saturated in canola oil to wipe down your skin, then immediately wipe down your skin with another rag saturated in rubbing alcohol. Be careful to avoid your eyes.
- Blow your nose: Following tear gas exposure, you should immediately blow your nose and try to spit out any chemicals you may have gotten in your mouth.
Although the effects of tear gas on the body are temporary, the effects of tear gas on home or property are not. Not only can the chemicals in tear gas seep into furniture, fabric, and other porous materials, the canisters can also break windows and puncture drywall and ceilings.
What of slap?
The governor also said he was slapped and he might have suffered neck injuries from the slap. But the series of action following a slap do not lead to neck injury either. One of the body’s responses to the slap is to secret the fight-or-flight hormone adrenaline.
Experts said the electrical signals arise from the receptors from the skin of the face and (if the slap is hard enough) the signal from the inner ear drum, where balance is regulated goes to your brain.
Initially, the primitive part of the brain looks at it as an aggressive act and sends out instinctual hard coded signals to protect the person that was slapped from the presumed attacker. The signals are then analysed and compared with the memory that an individual has about the person.. ie. the context, intention, emotion etc. come into play.
The brain then performs a series of computations and the slap recipient responds accordingly – strike back, cry, cringe, laugh or flee.
Since these processes happen in the brain, it is also worthy to note that a slap is not enough to cause brain damage or any form of cognitive impairment. However, punches to the head, or repeated hits to the head can have cumulative damage.
This is seen with some professional athletes (dementia pugilistica or mild cognitive impairment), and with persons who are victims of domestic violence.
At best, what the governor could have gotten if he was truly slapped would be slight headache if the slap was hard enough.