bad chemicals in smoke grenades?

[wanna-b-ballin']

i am wondering if there are any chemicals in smoke grenades that can affect humans.

this past saturday i played paintball at paintball jungle with stonedroopy.

someone threw a smoke grenade, and it was blocking our teams view; so i sprinted to grab it, and carry it back to my bunker, so i could throw it back at the other team. well, in the meantime, i guess i breathed alot of that colored smoke, and now my throat starts to hurt after i talk continuously for about a minute. its not just a hurt, but a hurt that makes me want to stop talking until the pain goes away.

so, are there any harmfull chemicals in those cold-burn smoke grenades that could be affecting me?

it could be the smoke grenade that did it, but i'm not sure. maybe it just dried my throught out a little bit?

any insight as to if its a long-term effect or whatever would be nice.

thankyou, Liam

[paullus99]

Any smoke is bad for you - it just depends on how much you breath. I'm sure you just irritated your lungs a bit & after a few days you'll be back to normal. I also wouldn't usually recommend picking up even cold smoke grenades after they've gone off - the chemical reaction to create the smoke can still heat the can upwards of 300 degrees (not enough to start a fire, but enough to burn skin).

Rudy, my teammate learned the hard way & suffered 2nd degree burns on the palm of her hand.

[B.A.M.]

It might not of been toxic but if it filled you lungs then no 02 could get in so maybe thats why it hurt

[TheTramp]

Supposedly the orange ones really bother asthmatics so that tells me breathing any of them can't be good. Not going to kill you but still.

[master_alexander]

if it was homeade there is a way you can make it with chlorine and sugar, an the chlorine is the dominant chemical so it would be toxic, not too smart on their part to make, otherwise you should be fine, the same thing happened to my brother - xcept it was my smoke grenade. and good dea to throw it back, but try to take and hold a bigger breath next time! ... ... or be like him --->> and wear a face mask .

[Recon by Fire]

Smoke grenades are not posionous or dangerous, you just felt the effects of an irritant. We used to increase the irritant effect by placing crumbled up fuel tabs inside the chemical fuse well. :)

[VFX_Fenix]

From what I've read of home grown smoke bombs, most are innocuous. Potassium Nitrate (Salt Peter) is used in many of these recipies and can have some adverse effects with long term exposure. However, what you're describing is most likely a simple case of smoke inhalation which will cause inflamation of the resperatory system for a few days. If you're still feeling crummy after Wednesday, go see your doctor and get a little check-up. Hope you feel better!

[wanna-b-ballin']

it wasn't a home made one, it had some kind of a wrap around label. it didn't heat up, it was cool and damp.

thanx guys. i dont feel scared any more. lol


stonedroopy saw me run for it and slip in the mud and slide past it. i landed on my arm funny, and my shoulder is sore now. oh well, it was fun.

[SAW]

Smoke grenades are not posionous or dangerous, you just felt the effects of an irritant. We used to increase the irritant effect by placing crumbled up fuel tabs inside the chemical fuse well. :)

*Grabs notebook*

Anyways, head over to the doc in a few days if you still feel sick.
FYI master_alexander, chlorine is very, VERY nasty stuff...

[ProX9]

Chlorine is dangerous, yet it is not in smoke bombs, and I know this for sure, the standard smoke bomb, homemade is KNO3 and sugar, like what was said earlier. Chlorine is not an ingredient and if it were possible to do so it would be a poison gas bomb, not good for pb.

[Evil Bob]

Actually, quite the contrary, smoke grenades can be quite deadly in the wrong situations.

There was a military accident involved using one in which a yellow smoke gren was dropped into a hatch on an APC, the crew was belted down inside as the vehicle was moving at the time. All inside died from asphyxiation.

I've also seen smoke grens set fire to dry grass, tent canvas, JP8 cans, and clothing. Like anything else, you need to use common sense when employing them. The last words from the guy who wiped out the entire APC crew just before hopping onto the back of the APC was "dude, this is going to be funny."

-Evil Bob

[FireITup14]

your lungs will probally swell and bleed til your they rip apart and come out your mouth. no im just kidding. i had a big wiff of a smoke bomb and i coughed for like a whole day but im still alive. theres a couple brain cells gone. Are smoke bombs (the fireworks kind) similar to the smoke grenades?

[Evil Bob]

They use similar materials, all of which produce carbon monoxide in high quantities, a direct result of chemicals burning. Usually the only difference is in the total volume of smoke produced, mil smoke grenades produce substantially more volume, hence using them in a small confined area will usually have extremely bad results.

Aye, you dont really want to breath the stuff if you can help it, its not readily lethal in small quantities but its not good for you either as your lung irritation (coughing for a day) suggests.

-Evil Bob