system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Tear Gas. What is it and what does it do to the body?
gpt
You know mace/pepper spray?

&#x200B;

Package that up with a minor explosive/propellant and you have tear gas.

&#x200B;

It's not simply capsaicin, there are more chemicals in it. What they do, they irritate the eyes and cause them to swell. This is where it gets it's name, as the eyes produce tears to wash it out. It then enters the lungs, where it causes immense irritation, causing coughing. Sensitive areas of the skin, like those around the eyes, will begin to get irritated and start bo burn. It is immensely effective at making someone stop what they are doing.

&#x200B;

Interestingly, it is OK'd to be used as Riot Control, but cannot be used as a weapon during wars, as it violates the CWC. This is because tear gas can be made into a toxic compound that is essentially mustard gas.