> I've used CS quite a good many times in military training. One of the
> standard means of dispersal is a burning type grenade. While in Korea
> I set up tear gas chambers for NBC defense training where the method
> for dispersal was to use CS powder heated over an open flame. In both
> cases I have stood in the resulting aerosol sans mask for extended periods
> (once you're used to it, CS is not all that incapacitating even in pretty
> high levels). I daresay that if there were significant levels of cyanide
> generated from heating of CS in a normal flame, I would have seen the
> gray skin, and malaise that comes with cyanide poisoning.
IAN: CS manufacturers such as Aldrich Chemical Company of Milwaukee,
Wisconsin state in their official company literature on CS, that when
burned CS emits toxic fumes, such as hydrogen cyanide and hydrogen
chloride. The Aldrich company also states that if water is poured
on burning CS, a lethal cloud of hydrogen cyanide can be released.
Even more, the toxic and flammable agent methyl chloride, used in
Waco to cause the CS dust to become suspended in the air, when burned
releases extremely toxic phosgene gas (Trial transcript: 5735, 5756,
5916, 5921). (BTW, I'm told that the trial transcripts are now on
the web but I do not know the URL, a search should uncover them.)
There is even an aerial photo of the Mt. Carmel shortly after the fire
breaks out, in which the whole center is in a cloud of white smoke, it's
believed that this cloud is a phosgene-cyanide gas cloud. Both hydrogen
cyanide and phosgene gas were used in the Nazi's gas chambers before
zyklon-B was used. Waco, TX: Auschwitz USA.
Also, a report by Amnesty International confirmed that CS and CN gas
had lead to the deaths of over 40 Palestinians, including 18 babies,
who had all been exposed, like the Davidians, to tear-gas in enclosed
spaces. As a result of this report, American manufacturers halted
sales of tear-gas to the Israeli govt (The Davidan Massacre, p.294-5).
It must be that the CS you dispersed was simply carried up quickly by
the radiant heat of the flame rather than actually burning and thus
releasing toxic fumes. I would imagine that you may still have
had low-level cyanide exposure.
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IAN GODDARD <igoddard@erols.com> Q U E S T I O N A U T H O R I T Y
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