#dioxin

In mid-February, Trump administration leaders received a desperate warning from their diplomats posted in Vietnam, one of the most important American partners in Asia. Workers were in the middle of cleaning up the site of an enormous chemical spill, the Bien Hoa air base, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio abruptly halted all foreign aid funding. The shutdown left exposed open pits of soil contaminated with dioxin, the deadly byproduct of Agent Orange, which the American military sprayed across large swaths of the country during the Vietnam War. After Rubio’s orders to stop work, the cleanup crews were forced to abandon the site, and, for weeks, all that was covering the contaminated dirt were tarps, which at one point blew off in the wind. And even more pressing, the officials warned in a Feb. 14 letter obtained by ProPublica, Vietnam is on the verge of its rainy season, when torrential downpours are common. With enough rain, they said, soil contaminated with dioxin could flood into nearby communities, poisoning their food supplies. Hundreds of thousands of people live around the Bien Hoa air base, and some of their homes abut the site’s perimeter fence, just yards from the contaminated areas. And less than 1,500 feet away is a major river that flows into Ho Chi Minh City, population 9 million. “Simply put,” the officials added, “we are quickly heading toward an environmental and life-threatening catastrophe.” -They received no response from Washington, according to three people familiar with the situation.

Teargas is the most popular choice for the police to disperse the protesters, also their preferred weapons.

Since June, there are cases where people (including protesters, journalists and passersby) were hit by the teargas can and injured.

The worst thing is, the latest batch of teargas used by the police is made in China, and journalists and experts have noticed the dioxin it releases is high, whenever the police use the teargas, they are poisoning all the people in the scene. And the chemical is also affecting the ecological environment in Hongkong.

(Trigger warning)

Dead bodies of birds, squirrels and hawks are founded in districts that were bombarded with teargas.

88% Population exposed. Approximately 10,000 canisters of Tear gas have been used in the past five months in Hong Kong, a city of 7.39 millions population.

Public concerns on the short term and long term effects of tear gas are rising, as there are fears that tear gas can produce dioxins, which is highly toxic and carcinogenic.

Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan said the chemical composition of tear gas used by the police cannot be revealed for some police operational reasons. She also claimed that there was no proof tear gas posed any health risk and no evidence suggest that tear gas can produce dioxins.

Since when police operations are more important than public health? Recently, a front line reporter has been diagnosed with chloracne, an acne-like eruption particularly linked to exposure to dioxins (Interview and news report). Children are having allergies conditions on their skin after going to the parks affected by tear gas (Interview and news report). Unusual amount of animals bodies, such as birds, cats, and squirrels, were found on the streets (photos).

Tear gas is basically a chemical weapon, and is banned from being used in international warfare. And they are saying tear gas poses no harm?

It is the government's responsibility to tell the public how to deal with the tear gas, especially when they are firing tear gas like crazy in dense residential areas, and sometimes indoors. They also need to disclose clearly and fully the operating guidelines of tear gas and other weapons. Public have the rights to know about these information.

Millions in Hong Kong have been exposed to tear gas since june

Environmental advisers call on HK government to issue clear guidelines on the use of tear gas

Police want tear gas details kept secret: govt