As protests continue to unfold across Kenya, there is a worrying routine response from security forces, who typically resort to the use of tear gas canisters to disperse crowds. What is usually intended to be a temporary method of crowd control has become a norm in Kenya, with the use of tear gas becoming an all too familiar sight, particularly in the Nairobi CBD. But what exactly is tear gas?
How effective is it, and does it pose any health risks?
Studies have been done on the same, and some of the findings are quite extraordinary. Despite the name, 'tear gas' is not actually a gas.
Instead, it is a pressurised powder that is condensed inside canisters and disperses into the air when launched.
