Can Pepper Spray Kill You
Pepper spray is usually known as a nonlethal weapon. Pepper spray may cause irritation in the eyes, skin, and various membranes of the body. Inhalation exposure may result in coughing, difficulty in breathing, and nasal and throat irritation. These effects are usually mild and temporary, lasting from a few hours to several days.
Upon direct contact with eyes, respiratory systems, and mucous membranes, the active ingredients in Mace Brand Pepper Spray cause eyes to close, cough, and an extreme burning sensation on the skin. Even if not ingested, pepper sprays effects to the skin and eyes may require hospitalization, producing extreme burning pain, swelling, inflammation, and redness. Medical experts and manufacturers state the effects of pepper spray on the body cannot be predicted, and care should be used when applying it.
Medical and law enforcement experts agree that pinpointing a cause of death in cases related to pepper spray is complicated by the fact that officers almost always use the chemical agent along with other restraint methods–tasers, handcuffs, manual restraints, and restraints–and in situations that frequently include physical struggles. We certainly know any use of pepper spray can result in pain, discomfort, temporary blindness, and respiratory problems, but statistics on this front appear thin on the ground. Use by law enforcement to manage a crowd may lead to a lot of people being exposed to pepper spray all at once.
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More recent times have seen the development of a number of different chemical irritants used by law enforcement agencies for crowd control, and also used by private citizens for personal protection. Although originally used by the military during the First World War, tear gas and pepper spray are now used by individuals or law enforcement agencies as non-lethal options to deter violent subjects and for crowd control. Pepper spray has been used routinely by governmental agencies or militaries around the world for decades as a non-lethal incapacitating agent in relation to interpersonal violence or civil disturbances, and by law enforcement agencies, criminal decapitation, individual self-defense, and occasionally to control wildlife.
| Facts | |
| Certainly | We certainly know any use of pepper spray can result in pain, discomfort, temporary blindness, and respiratory problems |
| By Law Enforcement | Use by law enforcement to manage a crowd may lead to a lot of people being exposed to pepper spray all at once. |
Pepper spray, capsicum oleoresin spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, or chili powder spray is a lachrymatory (a compound which causes an irritation to the eyes, leading to burning sensation, pain, and temporary blindness) used by police, in riot control, crowd control, and in self-defense, including protection against dogs and bears. Oleoresin capsicum oil comes from the genus Capsicum, which includes peppers, and is used in making this oil. Its active ingredients are from the chili plant, and is likely what is used to make your favorite hot sauce, too.
Yes, capsicum is an active ingredient, but it is just one of the many elements that go into sprays police officers use today. When it comes to bear spray, the oils from the capsicum are used to create the spray, which is what protects people coming in contact with a grizzly.
Capsaicin, an active component of these sprays, is known for injuring lungs and airways. The dermatological effects of capsaicin in OTC sprays are further described in a few case reports.
The police use of the spray bottle may have been as low as 10% in OC, although reports of sprays reaching 30% exist. How hot–and thus, how painful–a spray is depends on how concentrated a compound called a capsaicinoid is. Some triple-action pepper sprays also contain tear gas (CS gas), which can be neutralized by sodium metabisulfite (Campden tablets), although this is not intended to be used against an individual, but rather to decontaminate an area.
Pepper spray products are available in various sizes, including handheld containers designed for squirting onto an individual or animal (e.g., bear spray), and containers which can be dropped or fired into an area, like the ones used by law enforcement. Pepper spray is one of the best self-defense products to use (see our #1 Customer Favorite Pepper Spray Keychain), since it is easy to carry, is non-life-threatening, and is legal in most places. The legal use of pepper spray is just as a tool for self-defense. Many people are more comfortable carrying pepper spray rather than a deadly weapon, as they believe that they will likely use the spray rather than using a gun or knife.
If Dutch research is correct, then it is much more likely that a police officer who goes to a peaceful protest and pepper-spraying people will incite violence rather than deter violence; using pepper spray in such situations is not just excessive and unjust, but also foolish. This temporary blindness allows officers to restrain subjects easier, and allows individuals who are threatened to use pepper spray for self-defense, with an escape possible. While the benefits of pepper spray are obvious in the right situations, controlling officers once they possess these weapons has proven challenging.
In 1999, after an incident where Californian police officers dipped swabs of cotton in pepper spray, and then forced it in the eyes of anti-logging demonstrators, the American Civil Liberties Union asked the Court of Appeals to rule that pepper-spraying was dangerous and cruel. Police officers and corrections officers in California, North Carolina, and Florida filed suit seeking to stop the mandated pepper-spray exposures during training, alleging officers suffered severe health effects from being pepper-sprayed. The Los Angeles Police Department reports three men have died in custody since 1993 after being pepper-sprayed.
Science writer Deborah Blum noted in a 1995 report[PDF] the ACLU of California California listed 26 deaths from 1993 through 1995 possibly related to police pepper-spraying (that is one death per 600 uses); the majority of deaths involved individuals who had potential health problems such as asthma. In the cases of deaths that we identified, a causal connection between exposure to OCS spray and deaths remains disputed.
OHalloran and Frank29 reported 21 cases of deaths in restraining custody, of which 10 were preceded by OC spray use. Pollanen et al 33 reported 21 cases of restraint in-custody death, in which four subjects were sprayed with OC.
Teargas and pepper spray may cause severe, even life-threatening, complications for individuals who are most vulnerable to the effects of teargas and pepper spray–particularly for individuals who suffer from heart or underlying lung conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). What To Know About Tear Gas Tear gas — a mix of chemicals that causes skin, eye, and respiratory irritation — was first developed in the late 1920s and used as a chemical warfare agent in World War I. Classified as a riot-control agent and banned from use in war under Article I.5 of the Chemical Weapons Convention, tear gas is intended for use against violent attackers resisting arrest and who threaten to physically harm others.
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Even as pepper sprays popularity grows, among police officers as well as civilians, concerns are being raised by scholars, civil libertarians, and some law enforcement officials regarding possible fatal consequences of pepper spray. In 2019, the UN issued Universal Guidelines on Less Lethal Weapons Use by Law Enforcement, which includes crowd-control measures like tear gas, baton charges, and rubber bullets, as well as pepper spray.
Is pepper spray toxic to breathe in?
People who already have underlying heart or lung diseases, such as asthma or COPD, are more vulnerable to catastrophic, even fatal, effects from tear gas and pepper spray. Tear gas can cause wheezing, coughing, and choking if breathed because it can irritate and inflame the lining of the lungs and upper airway.
How long does pepper spray affect you?
Depending on the individual, pepper spray’s effects might last anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes. An attacker may usually be sprayed from a distance of roughly 10 feet thanks to the range of pepper spray. Since there are several types of pepper spray, be aware of its specific range.
How do you recover from pepper spray?
Although there is no immediate cure for pepper splash openness, people may typically reduce the severity and duration of the side effects by: if at all possible, relocating into a place with outside air. dumping tonnes of water on the affected area to wash the toxins away. attempting to avoid using cleanser around the eyes since it irritates them.