Pepper Spray Safety Information

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Questions and Answers about Pepper Spray Safety

Are all pepper sprays safe?

No. There are variety of aerosol propellant and carrier formulations used within the OC industry. Some are relatively safe and some are toxic or environmentally unsafe and should not be directly sprayed to the face. For example Methylene Chloride (synonym: Dichloromethane) used in some major OC brands is classified as a Carcinogen (cancer causing) by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and International Agency on Research for Cancer (IARC) and can cause permanent tissue damage.

In another instance DUPONT CHEMICAL issued the following warning statement: "It has come to our attention that makers of personal safety devices may be using HCFC in the formulation of pepper sprays for self defense. Please note that this MSDS states that no eye or skin irritation testing has been performed with this compound."

Has pepper spray ever caused any fatality?

Contradictory to common belief NO. An article published by International Association of Chiefs of Police entitled "Pepper Spray and In-Custody Deaths", by John Granfield, Jami Onnen and Charles S. Petty, M.D. states: "our review concluded that, in these cases OC (pepper spray) was not a factor in any of the deaths and that something else caused the subject to die. More specifically, it was concluded that in 18 of the 22 cases positional asphyxia was the cause of death, with drugs and/or disease also being the contributing factors. In the remaining four cased three involved a drug (cocaine)-related death, and one involved a drug (cocaine)/ disease-related death. The reviews' results indicate that OC was not the cause of death in any of the cases."

You should also refer to C.H. Steffee, P.E. Lantz, L.M. Flannagan, R.L. Thompson, D.R. Jason, "Oleoresin Capsicum (Pepper) Spray and 'In-Custody Deaths'", American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, 16(3): 185-192, 1995, stating: "In no case was OC found by these reviewers to be the cause of death."

Also see United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Pesticide Programs, Washington, D.C. List D. Case 4018 "Capsaicin". Section B.1. Human Health Assessment: "The potential risks to humans from both dietary and occupational exposure to Capsaicin are considered negligible due to the long history of use by humans as a food additive/component without any indication of deleterious health effects. Due to the nature of the subject compound it is unlikely that products containing capsaicin will have adverse effects on human health. Consequently, all toxicology data requirements have been satisfied".

Is Capsaicin cancer causing?

Capsaicin is not listed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and International Agency on Research for Cancer (IARC) as a cancer causing agent. In fact it is being studied as a substance against cancer. You should refer to the article C.E. Modly, M. Das, P.S.C. Don, C.L. Marcelo, H. Mukhtar, D.R. Bickers, "Capsaicin as an In Vitro Inhibitor of Benzo(a)pyrene Metabolism and its DNA Binding in Human and Murine Keratinocytes", Drug Metabolism and Disposition, The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. The article concludes: "Capsaicin may represent a new category of compound with anti-carcinogenic effects."

Is pepper spray hazardous to respiratory system?

ZARC cannot respond regarding other pepper sprays. However CAP-STUN was tested by the UNITED STATES TESTING, INC. for "Acute Inhalation Toxicity Test". It was found that CAP-STUN was not hazardous to the respiratory system: "CAP-STUN formulation was not toxic to the test animals when they were exposed to a concentration of 56.3 mg/l, which was the highest concentration available in the test system. The LC50 was thus calculated to be far greater than 56.3 mg/l. It was also our estimate that the current exposure condition (concentration and duration) already surpassed that which would be expected in the normal usage of the device." This translates to deploying about 55 canisters of Z-305 CAP-STUN in a room of 10' x 10' x 10' (feet) with no ventilation, which even at this amount is still at a non-hazardous level.

Can pepper spray cause allergy?

ZARC cannot speak about other pepper sprays. However CAP-STUN is tested and found to be non-allergenic. Sensitization Test (Allergy) was performed on CAP-STUN by UNITED STATES TESTING, INC. in accordance with the guidelines of the methodology described by B. Magnusson and A.M. Kligman: "tested at the highest non-irritating dose (10% w/w) CAP-STUN was not considered to be a skin sensitizing agent. CAP-STUN® formulation is therefore not considered to be an allergy causing agent."

Is pepper spray harmful to the eye?

ZARC cannot elaborate on pepper sprays in general. However, coming into contact with CAP-STUN causes immediate burning sensation of the eye lids and mucous membranes. This sensation is temporary and will not last.

An Eye Irritation Test was performed by UNITED STATES TESTING, INC., on CAP-STUN. The result demonstrated that: "although CAP-STUN formulation induced eye irritation in all six test animals, all animals were completely recovered."

Also refer to Headquarters United States Air Force, Washington, D.C. Air force Medical Operation Agency, Office of the Surgeon General 18 September 1992: "We have reviewed the literature on CAP-STUN Weapon Systems, we have no medical concern beyond normal use."

Is it true that Capsaicin can change body temperature?

In most tropical regions chili peppers are added as a part of the daily diet which can produce minor sweating, providing a sense of coolness when in contact with moderate wind. Certain laboratory studies have shown that high dosage of 30 to 50 milligrams of Capsaicin per one kilogram of body weight administered in multiple doses over a period of time may produce a change in body temperature. This is a very high and unrealistic dosages under actual field situations.

For example if you weigh 90 kilos (200 pounds) you must be injected with 4,500 milligrams of Capsaicin to produce the results stipulated in this study. CAP-STUN contains approximately 3.5 milligrams of capsaicin per spray. Therefore you need to be injected with or ingest the content of about 215 canisters of CAP-STUN to reach the amount suggested in the above studies. You should note neither injection nor ingestion are routes of exposure for CAP-STUN.

Although ZARC cannot generalize about all pepper sprays, CAP-STUN has been used in the field and in training on variety of subjects in hundreds of thousands of applications for nearly two decades. There has never been any report of adverse health effect.