- Family exposed to noxious substance while returning home in Tai Wai, where police had earlier fired gas at protesters
- Two young girls still carry marks of that day, and others hit by gas describe suffering breathing difficulties and skin irritation
Wing Leung never imagined a day celebrating her infant daughter's birthday would finish with crying, tears, and tear gas.
The mother of two and her family were subjected to the stinging effects of the chemical as they walked home in Tai Wai on August 10, and the marks from that day are still with the two young girls.
"I wondered whether I would have 'stinky eggs' (tear gas) the next day," Leung's three-year-old daughter Pipi Ng said.
Remembering the moment, the youngster said her "eyes stung" and she had cried.
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While Pipi appeared to be fine on the day of interview, which was more than a week after her experience, her younger sister Mimi, whose first birthday is on Monday, still had rashes all over her back and her stomach.
"That day was supposed to be a very joyful one, but it eventually ended with fear," Leung said.
Since June, when the extradition bill protests erupted in Hong Kong, more than 1,800 rounds of tear gas have been fired by police to disperse protesters.
As demonstrators later adopted a "flash mob" style to stage their protests in different areas, including those with more residences, tear gas had been fired in at least 13 of the 18 districts in the city.
A survey conducted by doctors found more than 100 journalists covering the protests had reported health problems, such as breathing issues and skin allergies, after repeated exposure to the gas.
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On the day Leung and her family were exposed to the noxious substance, they were returning to their Tai Wai home after an early birthday celebration for Mimi.
As they approached Grandeur Garden, a residential complex near Tai Wai MTR station, they began to feel the lingering traces of tear gas which had been fired earlier.
"I felt stinging with my eyes, without hearing any sounds (of tear gas shots). Everything looked normal at that time," Leung said, adding she had suffered from coughing and skin rashes for a few days afterwards.
Police began firing tear gas at around 7pm that day in Tai Wai to disperse anti-government protesters.
Rashes began to develop on Mimi's chest and back afterwards, a condition believed by Leung to be related to the exposure to tear gas.
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Leung said the rashes got more serious after the infant came into contact with a backpack exposed to the gas.
The mother eventually took her youngest daughter to the accident and emergency department of a public hospital, as suggested by the paediatricians she had consulted.
"But even the doctor at the A&E department said there wasn't any studies (detailing the impact of tear gas on children), and just treated her condition as ordinary skin allergy," Leung said. "There are still lots of uncertainties in the future."
The mother pointed out the difficulties in finding doctors who know how to handle the effects of tear gas.
"It is ridiculous that the government has released toxic gas harming the public but did not do any follow-up," she said.
In a separate case, a father wrote in a Facebook post that his seven-month-old son had rashes after wearing clothes that were hung outside his flat while police fired tear gas nearby.
For children at the scene, as they are shorter and breathe faster, the amount (of tear gas) they breathe in would be more than those of adultsProfessor David Hui
Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, an expert in respiratory medicine from Chinese University, said children in general could take in more tear gas than adults.
"(Tear gas) is heavier than air and sinks. For children at the scene, as they are shorter and breathe faster, the amount (of tear gas) they breathe in would be more than those of adults," Hui said.
He said most of the studies on the impact of tear gas were done on adults, as children were seldom subjected to tear gas.
But he said even for adults, not many long-term problems had been identified, though there were a few cases where people had asthma for two to three years after coming into contact with the harmful gas.
He said tear gas could also cause skin irritation in both adults and children.
Paediatrician Dr Ellis Hon Kam-lun also believed tear gas would not pose a long-term threat to children, as no one would suffer chronic exposure to the substance.
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The police asked the Post to refer to its press conference on August 20 when was asked about its guidelines in using tear gas in residential areas, what should people do if exposed to tear gas, and any follow-up for people who were hit.
At the time, police said those coming into contact with tear gas should change their clothes immediately and wash their eyes with water. Those affected by police operations also had the right to seek compensation from the force.
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