Hexachloroethane (HC) smoke grenades in Minnesota in 2026
Executive summary
Reporting shows hexachloroethane (HC) is a chlorinated compound long used in white smoke compositions for military and some law‑enforcement smoke grenades and pots, and federal and public‑health sources warn it can form other toxic byproducts during combustion and pose inhalation risks [1] [2] [3]. Public posts and past documented incidents allege HC‑type munitions were used against protesters in U.S. cities, but available documentation specific to Minnesota in 2026 is not present in the supplied reporting and cannot be confirmed from these sources [4] [1].
1. What HC smoke grenades are and why they exist
Hexachloroethane is an organochlorine solid used historically in a zinc‑oxide/HC/aluminum mix to produce dense white concealment smoke favored for rapid obscuration in military and some law‑enforcement applications, and white smoke grenades typically rely on an HC‑zinc/aluminum composition to make that nearly instantaneous cloud [1] [5]. Industry safety documentation for commercial “HC” smoke grenades lists hexachloroethane as a hazard‑determining ingredient and frames the devices as regulated hazardous mixtures, underscoring the chemical’s central role in those formulas [6].
2. Known health and environmental concerns
Federal toxicology reviews and fact sheets state that HC is released to air when smoke devices that contain it are used, that most HC is consumed in the reaction but small amounts (about 5% or less) can remain and that burning can generate additional hazardous compounds such as tetrachloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride, phosgene and hexachlorobenzene — substances with documented health risks — which makes inhalation exposure during deployments a real concern [2] [7] [3]. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry notes that people near military training using HC devices can show elevated local air levels compared with background and that occupational exposures have been recorded among workers using protective equipment, signaling both acute and chronic exposure pathways [8] [3].
3. Policy and production trends that matter
Official sources and military reports acknowledge the historical use of HC in high‑performance smokes, but also show movement away from HC formulations: military research has described efforts to phase out HC for “healthier” smoke compositions because HC is considered toxic and the Army has reported replacement efforts for training and operational use [9]. Regulatory treatment varies: some HC‑containing products remain available in the U.S. even as European use has been phased out for certain industrial applications, and product safety sheets still list HC as a regulated hazardous component [6] [1].
4. Evidence about use against protesters and the Minnesota question
Journalistic and photographic coverage from prior nationwide events documented canisters labeled “HC” and measurements of unusual zinc and chloride around protest sites in 2020, and social posts claim HC‑type smoke was used against protesters in Minneapolis; however, official agencies often deny specific HC use even where canisters were photographed, and the supplied sources do not include verifiable, dated documentation that confirms HC smoke grenades were used in Minnesota in 2026 [1] [4]. The absence of direct, corroborated evidence for a 2026 Minnesota deployment in the provided reporting means the claim remains unverified by these sources.
5. How to evaluate and investigate future claims
Credible confirmation requires chain‑of‑custody evidence — photographed canisters with legible markings, chemical sampling of air or residue, agency inventory or procurement records, or independent lab analyses — because visual descriptions and social posts can conflate HC smoke, other obscurants, and non‑HC formulations; past controversies show both plausible use and repeated official denials, so independent environmental testing and transparent procurement disclosure are the strongest paths to verification [1] [6] [2].
6. Bottom line and reporting limitations
HC is a historically used, toxic‑concern smoke composition that has been implicated in past domestic crowd‑control incidents and is flagged by federal toxicologists for potential hazardous byproducts, but the supplied material contains no conclusive, contemporaneous evidence documenting HC smoke grenade use in Minnesota in 2026 — absence of evidence in these sources is not evidence of absence, only a reporting limitation that points to the need for environmental sampling, procurement records, and independent laboratory confirmation to settle any specific 2026 allegation [2] [4] [6].