Short answer
Get everyone out and into fresh air. Get medical care for anyone with severe symptoms, and wait until police release the scene before you go back in. Keep the heating and cooling system off and the doors closed. Do not touch or wash exposed items. Take photos from the doorways, and write down the details for the cleanup company, your insurer and the agency that used the gas.
People first: fresh air and medical care
Move everyone out of the space and into fresh air. That includes pets. Go quickly, but stay calm. Stand upwind if you can, so the wind blows the gas away from you. Take off outer clothing that was exposed and put it in a plastic bag if you have one.
Most people feel strong burning in the eyes, nose, throat and skin. Coughing and watering eyes are common too. Rinse your eyes with clean water. Wash exposed skin with soap and cool water. Do not rub your eyes, and take out contact lenses if you wear them.
Watch for signs that someone needs a doctor right away. These include trouble breathing, chest pain, wheezing that does not ease, severe eye pain or confusion. Call 911 for any of those. Some people may be hit harder than others: people with asthma or heart or lung problems, babies, older adults and pregnant people.
Serious harm is uncommon, but it is real. A 2017 systematic review in BMC Public Health found that of 9,261 documented tear gas and pepper spray injuries, 8.7% were severe enough to need professional medical care and 17% were moderate. If you are not sure, it is better to get checked.
When can you go back inside?
If police used the gas during an active incident, the scene is theirs until they release it. Do not go back in until officers tell you that you may. Ask for the incident or report number and the name of the agency.
Even after the release, a short visit can hurt. Residue is the powder or oily film the gas leaves behind. It settles on floors, furniture, fabrics and inside the air ducts. It lifts back into the air each time it is stirred up. You may have to go in for medicine, papers or a pet's needs. If so, be quick, touch as little as you can and bag what you bring out.
If you cannot live in the home, arrange to stay somewhere else. Keep your receipts for lodging, meals and the basics you have to replace. You may be able to ask for that money back later.
If you rent, tell your landlord in writing as soon as you can. Your landlord needs to know about damage to the building. They may also have their own insurance and their own contractors to call.
Keep the heating and cooling off and skip the quick fixes
A running heating and cooling system makes things worse. It pulls residue into the return ducts and carries it to rooms the gas never reached. Once residue is in the ducts, every cycle can push a fresh dose back into the rooms you live in.
Turn the system off at the thermostat as soon as it is safe. Better still, shut it off at the breaker or the disconnect switch. Only do that if you can reach it without walking through the worst rooms. Leave the filter where it is. The cleanup crew will take it out and bag it. If you pull it out yourself, you can shake loose the residue it caught.
Does your bathroom or kitchen have an exhaust fan that vents outside? Leave that off too, until the cleanup company has looked at the space. Exhaust fans can pull air, and residue, toward them from other rooms.
In very hot or very cold weather, ask the company about short-term options. Portable heaters or window units do not pull air through the ducts. They can sometimes fill the gap, but only in rooms that were not hit hard.
Many things you might want to do right away can spread the residue or make it harder to remove.
- Do not run fans or open every window and door to air the place out. That can move residue into clean rooms and into your neighbors' units.
- Do not use a household vacuum. It can blow the fine dust back into the air.
- Do not wash exposed clothing, bedding or towels in your home washer with other laundry.
- Do not wipe surfaces with hot water or household cleaners until the cleanup company says how. The wrong method can smear the residue or cause new irritation.
- Do not throw away furniture, mattresses or other items before you photograph and list them.
- Do not paint over walls or ceilings.
Record the damage and get ready for the company's questions
Good records help in three places: the cleanup plan, your insurance claim and any claim against the agency that used the gas. Take photos of each affected room from the doorway or through a window. Capture where canisters hit, broken windows or doors, any powder you can see and the items you think are ruined.
Write down the date and time, the agency, the incident number and which rooms were affected. Note whether the heating or cooling was running. Also note any symptoms people in your household had, when they started and whether anyone saw a doctor.
If you can, ask the agency which agent it used. Ask how many canisters or rounds came into the building and where they landed. CS is a powder and OC, the agent in pepper spray, is an oil, and each one is cleaned in a different way. If the agency will not tell you, write that down too.
Many places set short deadlines for a notice of claim against a government agency. Ask the agency's claims or risk management office what its deadline is. Think about talking with an attorney early.
When you call a tear gas cleanup company, expect questions. They will ask what type of agent was used and how many rooms were affected. They will ask what kinds of flooring and furniture you have. They will also ask whether the heating or cooling ran and whether the scene has been released.
They may ask about access as well. Can the doors be locked? Are windows broken? Does a landlord or building manager have to approve entry? Where can the crew park? Share your photos if they ask. That helps them bring the right equipment and the right number of people.
Ask what their first visit will include. Ask whether you will get a written work plan before major work starts. Ask how they decide the home is ready for you to return.
Be careful with any company that promises life will be back to normal the same day. Be just as careful if they say a fragrance treatment will solve the problem. Covering the smell does nothing about the residue that causes the burning.
When the gas was used next door
Many households are hit by a standoff at a neighbor's address, not their own. Gas drifts in through an open kitchen window or a shared wall. You may even be away when it happens and come home to a street closed off with tape.
Say you are allowed back and your eyes burn the moment you open the door. Step back out. If the thermostat or hallway panel is within reach, turn the system off. Take what photos you can from the doorway and close the door again. Ask the officer for the incident number and which agent was used.
Then stay somewhere else, call your insurer and call a tear gas cleanup company. Share your photos. Tell them whether the air conditioning or heat was running while you were away. Then they will plan to check the ducts as well as the rooms the gas reached directly.
That detail about the system matters more than it seems. Without it, a company might look only at the kitchen and living room. It could miss residue that the supply ducts carried into the bedrooms. Turning off the system, taking photos from a distance and stepping away all limit the spread before the crew arrives.
Businesses and apartment buildings
In a business, close the affected area to staff and customers. Post a notice and send foot traffic another way. Shared heating and cooling systems and rooftop units can move residue between suites. So tell the building manager and the tenants next to you.
In an apartment building, tell the property manager right away. Hallways, stairwells and shared vents may need cleaning before single units can be finished. Other residents may be affected too.
As a business owner, you will feel extra pressure to reopen fast. Try not to let staff back in after a quick wipe-down. Employees who spend a full shift around leftover residue may get symptoms. Customers may leave with sore eyes and a poor opinion of your shop. A short, planned closure usually costs less than reopening twice.
Keep a list of the stock, equipment and supplies that were in the affected area. Food, open packaging, fabrics and anything that touches skin may need special handling or may have to be thrown out. Your insurer will want a record.
Taking care of yourself afterward
Police using gas near your home can leave you rattled, even if you had nothing to do with it. It is normal to feel shaken, angry or anxious for a while.
See a doctor if physical symptoms go on, such as coughing, sore skin or sore eyes. Talking with someone you trust, or with a counselor, can help with the stress. Looking after yourself is a fair part of getting over this, right alongside the cleanup of your home.
