I have written blog posts (here and here) previously about my concerns regarding the health effects of teargas. I have now also had physician mother friends who were protesting peacefully who have experienced the effects of teargas themselves. Furthermore, I have had a patient with severe lung disease teargassed in her own home (she has given me permission to share that information). I think many people are unaware that something called “teargas” can cause much more than temporary tears. We are facing many complex problems as a society, but we need to understand the potential health effects of what is being done. These health effects need to be taken into consideration in any policy and reform discussions.
Please consider purchasing a shirt to spread awareness about the health effects of teargas. The design was done by Dr. Stephen Gaeta, a friend of mine who is a cardiologist who was alarmed as well about potential health effects of teargas. There are a variety of options for adults and children. All proceeds from the Tear Gas Risks Lives products will be donated to the Oregon Justice Resource Center.
The Oregon Justice Resource Center has been helping represent the rights of protesters and communicated health concerns about teargas to the courts. Furthermore, they work tirelessly for a justice system that works for everyone.
Please consider buying a T-shirt or donating to OJRC directly.
I will update this post later today with more information when able. Worked a nightshift last night, so somewhat limited bandwidth.
Promised Update
I know nobody can scroll an Instagram feed anymore without a million different T-shirt ads popping up, so you can imagine my surprise when I found myself posting images of a T-shirt I had helped design. I have never sold a T-shirt before and had not planned to make that part of the website. However, I have learned that we live in a TLDR world, and despite my desire to have everyone review the literature and come to a deep understanding of how science can tell us the risks of the things we breathe, we also need to summarize important points for people. I have been so worried about my patients and community with the volume of teargas being deployed, that I thought this was particularly important. Stephen Gaeta, MD, PhD, a friend of mine who is a cardiologist and electrophysiologist in the South and I were texting, and I had started telling him about the cardiovascular concerns around teargas. He has a graphic design skillset as well, and I have personally worn a couple fairly nerdy T-shirts he has made. We had the following text exchange:
I did agonize about how best to convey the data, and had sent him all the studies. Would “Acute Respiratory Infection Risk Ratio 2.44 (1.74-3.43)” be better? I had him adjust from “viral spread” to “viral infection,” to be more accurate, but realized that putting main points of information regarding risk out there was most important with the website address for those who wanted to learn more regarding the details and nuance.
So he sent me the images, recommended Spreadshirt as an easy dissemination platform, and I uploaded the designs and waited a week with them pending hearing nothing. When I reached out to customer service, they told me I had to have 2-3 designs for them to go active. So then I found myself stuck, because I do not design T-shirts. Then I remembered this exchange from a thousand years ago in May when I started this project.
So I Googled “free easy T shirt design software” and banged out two more designs for T shirts with text about the importance of clean air, and threw in a couple of Air Health Our Health logos on masks for good measure. Bang! The designs all went through and were available!
This website has certainly been a journey and now a fairly creative outlet. I have had to learn some skills I never thought I would in medical school, from (admittedly lackluster) WordPress use, to podcasting, to now some rudimentary graphic design. Most importantly, there is a now a TLDR version of the AirHealthOurHealth message out there on T-shirts, mugs, etc. Feel free to purchase, start conversations, and spread the word about the importance of healthy air, and donations will go to OJRC for the teargas shirt and other great organizations like the American Lung Association, etc, for other designs.
TLDR- Buy a shirt!
Details on how the money works and more for the super-fascinated…. I have never done this before, but according to the site, the shop will print on demand and sell the designs, and then there is an assigned “margin” on each project that they will credit to the Air Health Our Health Account in 2ish weeks. It seems that they disperse the actual funds either at that time or at a month or when they hit a certain threshold. I currently plan to tally the “Tear Gas Risks Lives” sales and send that entire margin each month to OJRC. I’ll post a monthly update on the amount that goes to them! Working to find a more “automatic” process if I can, so also feel free to send me your suggestions (that do not involve me mass purchasing shirts, screen pressing, etc. I am a full time lung and ICU doctor, and do not have the time to run that kind of operation!) Also, if any of you are already big into shirt making and have other companies you think work better, will donate proceeds automatically, or have other advantages, please let me know (via Get in Touch link above).
