Tear Gas Clean Up

Tear gas remediation is a unique situation for remediation companies to handle. Tear gas forces affected individual’s eyes to tear up, but can also cause vomiting and pain. It is a highly effective tool for law enforcement, but it leaves behind residue over the entire structure.

Tear gas launches from a heated canister forcing the powdery substance to change to gas upon being shot. The combination of heat and gas, and the amount of canisters shot into the closed space increases the chances of recontamination and makes cleanup incredibly laborious.

The process of shooting tear gas makes it highly effective to disabling the humans involved, but also makes the removal difficult. For these same reasons, tear gas remediation can be extremely uncomfortable for crews.

In order to properly remove and ensure a safe environment for your team, there are multiple steps our Trauma Event Team follows.

First, we want to gather as much information as possible. The more information we can collect, like what type of tear gas was used and how much, we can properly prepare. Depending on the type of tear gas, our cleaning products may change, and we will want adjust accordingly to ensure an efficient process.

We will also want to photograph the space. Photographs will include any damage the canisters caused to the drywall, any bodily fluids that may need treated, as well as how much tear gas residue is remaining.

At this point in the process, Alliance Environmental Group’s Trauma Event Team will meet with the customer to assess the process and any salvageable items.

For salvageable items, our Team will set up a staging area to clean items as they’re being removed from the affected area. Items are stored here during the remediation process before they are returned to the home.

Alliance’s Trauma Event Team will wear their OSHA-approved respirators and haz mat suit upon entering the property. They will then set up proper containment and begin their multiple step cleaning process of the entire space. Depending on the amount of residue, our Project Manager may incorporate multiple cleaning methods so that our customers will not have an issue returning to the space.

Upon completion of the tear gas remediation, Alliance partners with our sister company, AirTek Indoor Air Solutions, for air duct cleaning to ensure a comprehensive cleaning process. Since it is possible for the tear gas residue to be in the air ducts, this is an important step to ensure the entire space has been properly cleaned.