We were talking about this a little on the thread with the Pulunsky protest pictures. I was trying to find out exactly what they were spraying (gas) the prisoners with.

How abou this idea. File a complaint with OSHA that this prison system is not using the correct safety measures in usuing this chemical.
With this being a Government Office I think they have the power to investigate this claim and stop it.


If nonething else it endangers the Correctional Officers. If OSHA won't help the prisoners maybe they will seek out the safety area of the workers.

I know they have power. Because I can't even spray windex where I work with out rules and regualtions. If it doesn't have a correct label on the the bottle its $1,000.00 fine.

What do you think about going this route to stop or at least control the gasing? I know they have the authority to just shoot and kill a prisoner so this is considered more humane but is it? In who's opinion?

http://blake.prohosting.com/infobank/

Hazardous and
Toxic Substances

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Chemicals

Hazardous and Toxic Substances


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Hazardous and toxic substances can be defined as those chemicals present in the workplace which are capable of causing harm. In this definition, the term chemicals includes dusts, mixtures, and common materials such as paints, fuels, and solvents. OSHA currently regulates exposure to approximately 400 substances. The OSHA Chemical Sampling Information file contains listing for approximately 1500 substances; the EPA's TSCA Chemical Substances Inventory lists information on more than 62,000 chemicals or chemical substances; some libraries maintain files of Material Safety Data Sheets for more than 100,000 substances. It is not possible to address the hazards associated with each of these chemicals. The intent of this page is to provide general information about hazardous and toxic substances, and then to provide access to more specific information sources.

Related Technical Links:
Hazard Communication
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Recognition
Specific Chemical Information:

Occupational Health Guidelines for Chemical Hazards. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 81-123 (1981, January), separate PDF files for Abstract, Table of Contents, and each chemical. These guidelines provide technical chemical information, including chemical and physical properties, health effects, exposure limits, and recommendations for medical monitoring, PPE, and control procedures. This document has been updated and revised through the years with the following supplements:
Supplement I-OHG. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 88-118 (1988).
Supplement II-OHG. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 89-104 (1988).
Supplement III-OHG. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 92-110 (1992).
Supplement IV-OHG. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 95-121 (1995).
NIOSH - Occupational Health Guidelines for Chemical Hazards Database. A complete listing of NIOSH documents for various chemicals, indexed by chemical name.
OSHA Chemical Sampling Information. Provides summary information on chemical properties, health effects, and sampling & analysis parameters.
NIOSH Documentation for Immediately Dangerous To Life or Health Concentrations (IDLHs). Provides a summary of information NIOSH used to determine and evaluate IDLH values.
Material Safety Data Sheets on the Internet. These sites, provide links to MSDS databases available on the Internet.
Oklahoma State University
NIOSH list of MSDS and Related sites
Additional links to information on specific chemicals and their hazards.
OSHA Health Guides. Guidelines summarize pertinent information about chemicals for workers and employers as well as for physicians, industrial hygienists, and other occupational safety and health professionals who may need such information to conduct effective occupational safety and health programs. Recommendations may be superseded by new developments; readers are therefore advised to regard these recommendations as general guidelines and to determine periodically whether new information is available.
NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. (1997, June). Available as hardcopy, CD-ROM, diskette, or on-line in HTML format.
Generic Information:

Understanding Toxic Substances: An Introduction to Chemical Hazards in the Workplace. Rosenberg, John, MD, Hazard Evaluation System and Information Service (HESIS), ed. Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP), University of California, Berkeley (1996, August), 18 pages, 56 KB. This booklet intends to inform a general audience how to better understand technical information about hazardous workplace chemicals.
Workplace Hazards to Reproductive Health: A Resource for Worker Health and Safety Training and Patient Education. Hazard Evaluation System and Information Service (HESIS), Department of Health Services, Berkeley, CA, 9 pages, 24 KB. This booklet is a useful guide to inform pregnant workers of the hazards in their workplace environment.
Assessing The Need For Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). OSHA Small Business Outreach Training Program, OSHA Office of Training and Education. This reference provides discussion, overheads, and student handouts for individuals conducting training in the selection and use of personal protective equipment for hazardous chemicals.
Worksafe Australia provides the following documents related to hazardous and toxic substances:
Controlling hazardous substances: resource manual for health and safety representatives (1994), 22 pages. This document outlines definitions of hazardous substances; employer and employee rights and responsibilities; and requirements for identification, control, and training. Though written for Austrailian law, this document, with some changes, is applicable to the United States and other countries.
Chemicals at work: what is a chemical?, 3 pages. This pamphlet provides brief information on how to determine if a hazardous substance is used in your workplace, and actions which should be taken to understand and reduce hazards.
There are two key questions to be answered in determining whether a hazardous substance occurs in your workplace (1990), 3 pages. This pamphlet gives a brief summary of how to identify hazardous substances in the workplace.
OSHA Fact Sheet 95-33 - Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories. Discusses OSHA's Laboratory Standard and the unique problems associated with laboratory use of hazardous chemicals.
Laboratory Chemical Safety Summaries (LCSS). From "Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Disposal of Chemicals," by the National Academy of Sciences (1995). The LCSSs provide concise critical discussions of the toxicity, flammability, reactivity, and explosibility of 88 chemicals commonly used in scientific research laboratories. Directions for handling, storage, and disposal and special instructions for first aid and emergency response are given. Unlike most Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs), the LCSSs are designed especially for laboratory workers.
Evaluation
The Chemical Reactivity Worksheet. Office of Response and Restoration, National Ocean Service, NOAA, and the Chemical Emergency Prevention and Preparedness Office of the EPA (1998), 3.1 MB program. A free program that can be used to find out about the reactivity of substances or mixtures of substances.
Sampling & Analysis. Technical Links page for information on measuring hazardous substance concentrations in the workplace.
Healthy Children — Toxic Environments, Acting on the Unique Vulnerability of Children Who Dwell Near Hazardous Waste Sites, (1997, April). This report, prepared by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, discusses many of the unique problems associated with childhood exposure to hazardous and toxic substances.
International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs) project is an undertaking of the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS). An ICSC summarizes essential health and safety information on chemicals for their use at the "shop floor" level by workers and employers in factories, agriculture, construction and other work places.
Control
A Guide for Evaluating the Performance of Chemical Protective Clothing. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 90-109 (1990, June), 96 pages, 1.6 MB PDF file, or 2 separate PDF files. This guide includes selection and evaluation guidelines for protective clothing.
Hazard Communication Page. OSHA Technical Links page regarding the communication of information on the hazards of chemicals; employer and employee responsibilities.
Personal Protective Equipment Page. OSHA Technical Links page on the use of personal protective equipment to protect against hazards, including chemical hazards.
Ventilation Page. OSHA Technical Links page for information regarding local exhaust systems to control exposures to hazardous chemicals.
Report To Congress On Workers' Home Contamination Study Conducted Under The Workers' Family Protection Act (29 U.S.C. 671A). This document summarizes the hazards which a worker's family may be exposed to. For example, exposures as a result of incomplete removal of contaminants from work clothing, or as a result of improper separation of work areas from living areas, etc.
CHEMTREC, Chemical Manufacturers Association. A 24-hour service for information relating to chemical emergencies, including product information and chemical company contacts.
Recommendations for Chemical Protective Clothing. A Companion to the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (1998, February), 3 pages. Provides chemical protective clothing guidelines for chemicals listed in the Pocket Guide.
Compliance
OSHA Standards
General Industry
1910 Subpart Z, Hazardous and Toxic Substances (Table of Contents). Includes Standards 1910.1000 to 1910.1450AppB, with Appendices.
Table Z-1, Limits for Air Contaminants
Table Z-2
Table Z-3, Mineral Dusts
Shipyard Employment
1915 Subpart Z, Hazardous and Toxic Substances (Table of Contents). Includes Standards 1910.1000 to 1910.1450, with Appendices.
Construction
1926 Subpart Z, Hazardous and Toxic Substances (Table of Contents). Includes standards 1926.1000 to 1926.1450, with Appendices.
OSHA Directives
CPL 2-2.66, 1,3-Butadiene (1997, October 1).


Review Commission and Administrative Law Judge Decisions
The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) is an independent Federal agency created to decide contests of citations or penalties resulting from OSHA inspections of American work places. To locate decisions related to this topic, search for keywords at the OSHRC site.
Training
Chemical control: what should I do? Worksafe Australia, 3 pages. This pamphlet discusses employer and employee rights and responsibilities regarding workplace use of hazardous materials.
Other
Occupational Health Branch (OHB). California Department of Health Services.

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Revision Date: 21 January 2002

OK
I answered part of my own question.
Synonyms:
[(2-Chlorophenyl)methylene]propanedinitrile
ortho-Chlorobenzylidene Malononitrile
beta,beta-Dicyano-ortho-Chlorostyrene
ortho-Chlorobenzalmalononitrile
CS
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CAS Number: 2698-41-1
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CS (ortho-Chlorobenzalmalononitrile) is a white crystalline solid which has been used for many years as an anti-riot agent. This chemical was originally developed by B.B. Corson and R.W. Stoughton in 1928. It's use as a crowd control chemical was originally used in the 1950's but was not seriously considered by law enforcement for use until the mid 1960's. It is used primarily as an incapacitating agent, both by the military and law enforcement personnel. With the advent of the less-than-lethal requirement needed by law enforcement, CS has become a mainstay of riot control, alleviating hostage and barracaide situations and prison population control. CS can be disseminated in grenades, projectiles, aerosols, or as a powder. Burning grenades, projectiles, and the raw powder are commercially manufactured here in the United States strictly for law enforcement. These manufacturers provide the only true controls on sales and who may possess this chemical. CS based aerosols are available to the consumer from a few select retail and wholesale organizations and stores.

In very minute quantities, CS has a peppery odor. At higher concentrations, the eyes will involuntarily close, have a burning sensation with profuse tearing. The nose will run, and moist skin will have a stinging sensation. CS will cause severe coughing, in concurrence with a tightness in the chest and throat. Occasionally, dizziness or swimming of the head will be experienced. All of the above effects are produced 20 to 60 seconds after dosing, and they will last from 10 to 30 minutes after being removed from the gas.

CS is less potentially lethal than CN, but as with all chemical agents, these chemicals are "inherently dangerous" and should only be used at a level of force between "Control & Restraint" and "Temporary Incapacitation".

There is a tremendous amount of information available to those who need to know. MP Laboratories, Inc. is committed to providing law enforcement with the most up-to-date and knowledgeable information available around the world. Feel free to contact either Donald Peace or Scott Miller with your questions or concerns.

Thanks for the details, Torrey. I was fixing to start diggin for this info myself but you beat me to it and saved me a bunch of time!

David

Sorry to be copying a book here.
But my God I had no idea the efffects of cs gas.
Check out this site about the FBI and Waco

I copy just a little so you will get any idea of the impact this gas has on people and the general view of the police department in using it.

Bob Ricks, FBI Spokesman:
We will continue to gas, probably all day. We will continue to gas them and make their
environment as uncomfortable as possible until they do exit the compound.


As stated before, when CS and MS combine, and burn, one of the by products is CYANIDE.
One of the byproducts of MS alone is hydrogen chloride
(hydrogen chloride: First appeared 1869: a colorless pungent poisonous gas; yields
hydrochloric acid when dissolved in water)

The next by product is phosgene.
(Phosgene is a colorless, extremely poisonous gas, first introduced in World War I as an offensive poison.)


The only reason some of the people above survived close to 6 hours is that some of them
had gas masks, but who's filters wouldn't work for longer than a few of those hours anyway.


Beautiful six year old Star, David Koresh's oldest daughter was found after the fire, laying on her side, her mangled body twisted grossly backwards till her feet angled towards her forehead. This child did not die of flames twisting her body. She had no carbon monoxide in her system.

She died in agonizing pain from the CS gas. The ensuing seizures and powerful wrenching muscle spasms caused her body to bow in such a manner. It would have taken her agonizing minutes to die... and the sickening thing about it...

The Feds KNEW gas masks weren't made for children!!




Bob Ricks, FBI Spokesman:
"We knew that that protection was in there (the concrete room)... we were able to insert gas inside that protective area.
We put massive gas in there--their gas masks by that time had to be failing. "


Eric R. Larsen:
"They would be puking, choking, they would probably be unconscious some of them would probably by dead. Some would be basically inert, they may still be alive, they may still be breathing, but they're not going to be doing anything. "

The moms and babies would take the full brunt of the attack...
and it was supposed to be that way,

"They were deliberately targeted," states Bob Ricks, FBI Spokesman:. . . we thought that their instincts,
uh, the motherly instincts would take place and that they would want their children out of that environment.
It appears they don't care that much about their children which is unfortunate."



FBI Monsters!
I cry to think of what went through those mothers minds as they choked and gasped for air,
watching their babies vomit and die, the seizures taking the infants and twisting them.
How DARE our government impose such a sentence!


John Mica, US Congress, Florida (R) angrily asks:
"Didn't their reports say that gas masks wouldn't fit on these babies!!?"


Jack Zimmermann: Attorney for Steve Schneider
"That's correct."


John Mica, US Congress, Florida (R) yells his question:
"And didn't they know that?"


Jack Zimmerman:
"They should have known that."



After breaking into tears, Sonny Bono had to look away
as testimony was given about the babies, and the effects the gas had on them.


http://www.wizardsofaz.com/waco/waco2.html

I was just searching for what amnesty Interantional reports on the use of CS gas. This is an investigation in England.



Inquests into deaths in custody in England revealed that certain methods of restraint used by law
enforcement officers can lead to positional asphyxia. In January the inquest into the death of
Kenneth Severin in Belmarsh Prison in November 1995 returned an “open verdict”. The
post-mortem stated that the most likely cause of death was positional asphyxia. The jury was told
that Kenneth Severin died shortly after being forcibly held face down by prison officers. The officers denied applying a neckhold or placing their knees on his back, and kicking and punching
him; they could not account for the bruises to his upper back and neck. In October an inquest jury
ruled that Ibrahima Sey had been unlawfully killed while in police custody in March 1996.
Ibrahima Sey had been handcuffed, sprayed in the face with CS gas, and then held face down for
about 15 minutes by several police officers (see Amnesty International Report 1997). The coroner
recommended an urgent review of police use of CS gas and warned chief constables of “grave
public concerns” about methods of restraint and the dangers of positional asphyxia. In December
an inquest jury ruled that Dennis Stevens' death in Dartmoor Prison in October 1995 was
accidental (see Amnesty International Report 1996).




A case of death blamed on CS gas.
**In March the un Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination expressed concerns, during its examination of the United Kingdom's Thirteenth Periodic Report, that a disproportionate number of members of minority groups were the victims of deaths in
custody and ill-treatment.
****There were a few deaths in custody in disputed circumstances during the year. Ibrahima Sey, a Gambian asylum-seeker, died on 16 March
shortly after being restrained by police officers; he was sprayed with cs gas after being handcuffed. The introduction of cs gas as standard police
equipment was approved in August, despite concern about its effects. Other deaths in custody being investigated by the police included those of
Ziya Mustafa Birikim, Oscar Okoye, Ahmed El-Gammel and Bosey Davis.

Wow, even though I had the wonderful opportunity of experiencing CS Gas, I never knew all this. This is outrageous!! However, I have to add one comment about the children at Waco...I blame the mothers. I would not even hesitate to bring my child out of that environement. If I wanted to stay and fight, that would be my choice...but I would have sent my children out.

This world is so screwed up. There has to be something about this CS Gas. I think maybe contacting OSHA might be a good idea. Even though this stuff is made for the police, there has to be rules and regulations on the use and those rules are not being followed.

I think this is the best idea yet Torrey!!!!

I am going to look at the OSHA books at work and do some reading also. There should be some place that states how to report a violation. I can't believe that some body hasn't thought of this earlier!.

Later
Joy

Having worked in a group home I know that OSHA guidelines are VERY strict. The idea to contact them is great. My only concern is the bureacracy. OSHA and DOC are both government regulated agencies. Either way it surely can't hurt to try! Let me know if I can be of any help.
Michelle

count me in too-thanks for bringing this to our attention torrey-

sherri