Like the post on tear gas, you’re going to want to read the full article to get the full explanation and details, but here are some key details.
…This compound is much harder to clean off than tear gas, making its effects more aggressive and long-lasting. And because hotter sprays make better products, their formulations are proprietary—manufacturers don’t want you to know what’s in them.
But what we do know about pepper spray can help you understand what to do if you’re exposed and what you and your fellow protesters must do to significantly reduce pain and discomfort.
…Depending on the plant the extract came from, [the] percentage can fall anywhere between 1.2 and 12.6 percent. Higher concentrations will provoke a faster inflammatory response than less-aggressive sprays.
Hotness is also measured with the Scoville heat scale, which is used to assess the spiciness of peppers used in food. Jalapeño peppers have between 2,500 and 10,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), while most law enforcement pepper sprays have up to 2 million. Some brands go as high as 5.3 million SHU.
You were pepper-sprayed: now what?
…If you’ve been unfortunate enough to actually touch your eyes after slicing up a hot pepper, you’ve probably experienced another common pepper spray reaction—a blepharospasm.
That’s when your eyes shut tight and you have no control over your eyelids, so you can’t open them up. This is an automatic bodily response that aims to protect your eyes from whatever is irritating them, but it’s a bit counterintuitive—your eyes produce tears to wash away the irritant, so not being able to blink makes it harder to flush out. And that’s not the only problem.
Because OC spray is an oil, it’s hard to wash off and its effects last longer. The best way to eliminate it is to wash the area thoroughly with soap and water. Baby shampoo is a less-irritating alternative, says Harr. Milk has also been reported to help with symptoms, but there’s no scientific evidence to back this up. Also, oil repels milk, so dumping dairy on your face won’t help get OC spray off your skin.
Those who were sprayed directly in the mouth experienced severe gastrointestinal distress, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain that lasted hours—sometimes days. Unfortunately, there’s not much doctors can do to stop the source of those problems, she says.
No matter where the spray hits you, seek medical attention if any symptoms last for more than 45 minutes or if you find the situation is unbearable even before that time.
The biggest problem with pepper spray
Much of what we don’t know about pepper spray and its effects on the human body stems from the fact that we don’t know exactly what’s in the canisters. Yes, capsicum is the active ingredient, but it’s only one of many elements that make up the sprays police use today. Depending on the brand, the pepper extract may be mixed with water, alcohol, or organic solvents like ethyl alcohol, according to a 1999 review in the North Carolina Medical Journal. Other elements, such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, could also be present and used as spray propellants.
…This compound is much harder to clean off than tear gas, making its effects more aggressive and long-lasting. And because hotter sprays make better products, their formulations are proprietary—manufacturers don’t want you to know what’s in them.
But what we do know about pepper spray can help you understand what to do if you’re exposed and what you and your fellow protesters must do to significantly reduce pain and discomfort.
“Because there’s no regulation around any of this, there’s a ton of different companies both in the US and abroad that sell to US police forces,” Haar says of law enforcement pepper spray. “Everybody has their own contract and their own concentration, and there’s no standard form.”
Read the full article at the link:
https://www.popsci.com/story/diy/pepper-spray-guide/