‘10 times more painful’: Menstrual disorders fuel calls to ban tear gas at French protests

AI Summary

Women in France are reporting severe menstrual pain and increased bleeding after exposure to tear gas used by police during recent protests. These accounts are intensifying calls to ban the chemical irritant and raising concerns about its health effects.

French police have made extensive use of tear gas during protests that have roiled France in recent weeks, sometimes causing grievous injuries. Thousands of accounts of women experiencing acutely painful periods and increased bleeding are further challenging assumptions that the chemical irritant carries only minor consequences.