ArticleToxicology reports2025
Collateral damage: Cardiovascular and respiratory implications of tear gas deployment during peaceful protest.
Article in Toxicology reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Emergency department medical care during civil unrest: a narrative review.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026Review
- Response to a commentary "Comment on "Collateral damage: Cardiovascular and respiratory implications of tear gas deployment during peaceful protest": Caution in interpreting the reported associations".Toxicology reports · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: In December 2024, large-scale protests in front of Georgia's Parliament were met with crowd-control measures involving the widespread use of tear gas and pepper spray, mixed with water. This study examined whether protest participants exposed to these agents exhibited electrocardiographic, capillaroscopic, or hematologic abnormalities, and explored associations with allergy status, mask use, and attendance frequency. Methods: An observational case-control study was conducted from January 9 to March 1, 2025. Of 347 protest participants surveyed, 69 underwent clinical evaluation. A control group of 31 unexposed individuals was recruited. Participants received ECGs, capillaroscopy, complete blood count (CBC), and coagulogram testing. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests, eta coefficients, and t-tests (p < 0.05). Results: ECG abnormalities-including P-wave (p < 0.001), QRS complex (p = 0.035), and T-wave (p = 0.012) changes-were significantly more frequent in the exposed group. Right bundle branch block and T-wave inversions were particularly notable. Capillaroscopy showed more non-specific and sclerodermal abnormalities in the exposed group, though not statistically significant. Allergy status was linked to higher symptom burden, while mask use and attendance frequency were not predictive. Laboratory parameters were largely normal. Two respiratory cases-hypersensitivity pneumonitis and unresolved pneumonia-were clinically linked to exposure. Conclusion: Exposure to CS gas was associated with significant ECG changes, indicating potential cardiopulmonary effects. Clinical patterns and rare respiratory cases warrant re-evaluation of chemical agent use, improved oversight, and long-term studies to assess chronic health risks in exposed populations.
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