Paris (France) (AFP) – A consumer defense association (CLCV) on Tuesday asked the health agency Anses to assess the potential impacts of tear gas on the health, in particular of children, pregnant women and other more vulnerable categories, but also on the environment.
Published on: 10/11/2026 - 2:00 p.m.
“For several years, the massive use of tear gas during demonstrations has exposed not only demonstrators, but also local residents, traders, passers-by, emergency personnel and vulnerable populations to chemical substances whose long-term consequences remain insufficiently evaluated,” she wrote in a press release.
The association for the defense of consumers and users of the health system (CLCV) is particularly concerned about the risks for children, pregnant women, the elderly or those suffering from respiratory, cardiovascular or endocrine pathologies.
Member of the board of directors of the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES), the CLCV therefore requested expertise from this health agency.
Menstrual cramps, abnormal or heavy bleeding: thousands of women have reported problems with their menstrual cycle after being exposed to tear gas during recent demonstrations in France, but health professionals remain cautious about a possible link.
The tear gas used in France is mainly composed of 2-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS), known for its irritating effects (eyes, skin, nose, throat, lungs), which generally disappear after a few minutes.
For several years, research, mainly abroad, has suggested a potential effect on reproductive health or gynecological disorders. However, most of the data is based on declarative statements from a small number of people, sometimes anonymous, and the causal link is not demonstrated.
By degrading in the body, CS can form cyanide capable of "causing effects similar to a lack of oxygen", which could disrupt the menstrual cycle, according to Alexander Samuel, teacher and doctor in molecular biology who explored the effects of CS after the yellow vest protests. “A working hypothesis that still needs to be verified,” he told AFP at the end of October.
The Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, affirmed last week in the National Assembly that he would not give up "any intermediate means (grenades, tear gas, etc.) for the good and simple reason that the police need to defend themselves when they are attacked."
He said he was "unaware of the harmful nature of tear gas", adding that "in 2021-2022, we carried out a certain number of studies and there were no observed harms, and on the contrary, the effects disappear very quickly".
© 2026 AFP
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