In Minneapolis and other cities, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have used tear gas, rubber bullets, and other tactics against groups of protesters, observers, and bystanders. On January 21, 2026, SciLine hosted a media availability with Dr. Rohini Haar, an emergency physician and researcher at the University of California, Berkeley who studies the health impacts of crowd control tools.
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Click for VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)
ANCHOR
IN MINNEAPOLIS AND OTHER CITIES… ICE AGENTS HAVE BEEN USING CHEMICALS LIKE TEAR GAS ON CROWDS… AFFECTING BOTH PROTESTERS… AND OTHER PEOPLE NEARBY.
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DOCTOR ROHINI HAAR… AN EMERGENCY ROOM DOCTOR AND RESEARCHER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY… STUDIES THE EFFECTS OF CROWD CONTROL PRODUCTS.
SHE SAYS THAT SO-CALLED CHEMICAL IRRITANTS LIKE PEPPER SPRAY AND TEAR GAS… CAN POSE SERIOUS HEALTH RISKS… IF NOT USED CAREFULLY.
SOT
Duration: 0:59 Super: Dr. Rohini Haar, ER doctor and researcher at University of California – Berekely
The top line thing that I would tell you about crowd control weapons and especially these chemical irritants is that, you calling them less lethal is kind of a misnomer that the danger and the health risks are really related to how they are used and on whom. And when they’re overused or misused, when they target individuals or when they are use without a need, those harms rapidly escalate. And over 30 plus years of research that we’ve looked into literature reviews and assessments. These chemical irritants can injure any different part of your body, everything from the tears, obviously in your eyes, to a lot of skin injuries, lung injuries, and mucosal injuries to your mouth, your lungs, things like that, but also those canisters can cause serious harm as well.
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DOCTOR HAAR ALSO STUDIES CROWD CONTROL PROJECTILES… LIKE RUBBER BULLETS AND BEAN BAG ROUNDS… AND SAYS PART OF WHAT MAKES THEM HARMFUL.. IS THAT THEY ARE DIFFICULT TO AIM… AND CAN EASILY STRIKE PEOPLE’S EYES… OR NEARBY BYSTANDERS.
Raw, full-length interview covers:
Her research on death, injury, and disability caused by:
chemical irritants (such as tear gas and pepper spray) and
“kinetic impact projectiles” (such as rubber and plastic bullets, bean bag rounds, and shot pellets);
How tear gas formulations have changed over time, including adding silicon to make it last longer;
What research has shown about long-term psychological impacts of crowd-control agents; and
Unanswered questions about the effects of these products.
