Paper contaminated with tear gas

Judith Murphy <jamurphy<-a t->unm< . >edu> writes

>I received a request about decontaminating some family papers that
>were heavily (49 cans) exposed to a tear gas substance called "CS"
>that formed a powder that is still active and irritating after
>several weeks.

thankfully, I don't have any first-hand knowledge of tear gas, but I
found this tidbit after a brief search:

The substances most often used as tear gases are synthetic organic
halogen compounds; they are not true gases under ordinary conditions
but are liquids or solids that can be finely dispersed in the air
through the use of sprays, fog generators, or grenades and shells.
The two most commonly used tear gases are -chloroacetophenone, or
CN, and o-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile, or CS. CN is the principal
component of the aerosol agent Mace and is widely used in riot
control. It affects chiefly the eyes. CS is a stronger irritant that
causes burning sensations in the respiratory tract and involuntary
closing of the eyes, but its effects wear off more quickly, after
only 5 to 10 minutes of breathing fresh air. CS, or
o-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile, or
omicron-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile (tear gas)

G Leake
HRHRC Conservation
UT Austin

                                  ***
                 Conservation DistList Instance 10:108
                   Distributed: Monday, June 9, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-10-108-010
                                  ***