Chemical irritants specially for crowd control are designed to cause individuals to alter behaviour or disperse by causing irritation to the eyes, nose, and skin and making people move away from the source. Omega includes tear gas (CS, CN, and CR), pepper spray (OC or PAVA), and foul-smelling malodorants in this category. They can be sprayed via vehicle mounted water-cannon or hand-held, shoulder-worn, and backpack sprayers or released as a fine powder via weapon-launched or hand thrown ammunition. This page includes information on common types of chemical irritants, relevant reports, and resources.
Chemical irritants can be used in a human rights-compliant way by law enforcement. , but they can also be dangerous and can cause various physical injuries depending on how the irritant is dispersed and the amount used. They should not be used in enclosed spaces where there is no possibility for people to leave the immediate area. Law enforcement should also monitor the amount used to ensure it is not excessive and stop using once there is no longer a threat from violent individuals. Weapon-launched chemical irritants should never be aimed directly at people as the ammunition casing can cause serious injuries.
Omega researches different manufacturers of these less lethal weapons and records incidents of use around the world. Information we gather on the physical appearance of the ammunition and sprayers is frequently used by human rights defenders to identify the type and manufacturers of the weapons used against them. We call for prohibitions on the trade and use of sprayers and launchers that disperse excessive amounts of chemical irritants and for robust controls to be placed on the trade and use of other kinds to ensure they are not used to violate human rights.
