Occupy Wall Street is a movement that has swept the nation. Whether you agree with the movements’ premise of equal distribution of wealth and opportunity or believe (as many do) that the movement has no focus and functions as an ineffective means to an end, one thing is true; protestors have been met with significant resistance in various locations. One tool law enforcement has used to control and disperse crowds is pepper spray. Several iconic images have emerged from these encounters. What is pepper spray? What are the physiological consequences of exposure?
“Oleoresin capsicum (OC) is an oily extract of pepper plants of the genus Capsicum” (Smith & Stopford, 1999). Extracts of pepper have been used throughout time. Past and current uses include spice products, weight loss, antimicrobial defense, self-defense and “less-than-lethal weaponry”, and neurobiological research (Riley et al., 2001). Capscium is mostly imported from India, Japan, African countries, and Mexico (Smith & Stopford, 1999). (Photo on left: Occupy Seattle protestor Dorli Rainey, 84. Photo by Joshua Trujillo)
Capsaicinoids are a group of strong chemical analogues and are the active agents of hot peppers that produce pain. They do so by stimulating the vanilloid receptor (Riley et al., 2001) and capsaicin acts directly on peripheral sensory nerves (Smith & Stopford, 1999). Pepper spray can contain water, alcohols, organic solvents, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and propellants in the form of halogenated hydrocarbons (e.g. Freon). Actual OC extract concentration varies from 5-15% among brands. As a result, there is a 30-fold variation of potential risks associated with exposure (Smith & Stopford, 1999).
Exposure occurs through inhalation, eye contact, and skin. Rapid onset of nausea, fear, and disorientation occur as a result of acute exposure. Physiological symptoms include:
-burning, pain, redness of skin
-burning of throat, wheezing, inability to breath or speak, respiratory arrest (rare)
-conjunctival inflammation and involuntary or reflex closing of eyelids
(Smith & Stopford, 1999)
It should be noted that pepper extract aids in the study of the human cough and other airway reflexes. It was also found that in Thailand capsicum ingestion “may explain the lower incidence of thromboembolic disease” through effects on clotting factors (Smith & Stopford,1999).
However, limited scientific research has supported the widely held idea that OC sprays are fairly safe. Pershing et al. (2006) began to address this in their study as they tested OC spray effects on forearm skin considering a range of concentrations and testing different races. They found significant erythema responses to natural and synthetic forms. Kaminski et al. considered the issue from a law enforcement perspective analyzing data from the Baltimore county police department. They found that the use of OC spray is effective in most arrest situations, with the exception of dealing with individuals who are under the influence of drugs and/or mentally ill (Kaminski et al., 1999).
Significant variability is an important issue regarding pepper spray. Variability in concentration of the active ingredient across products and in the affectivity of disarming aggressive persons suggests that there should be an industry standard in production and more scientific research to identify conditions for appropriate use. Social movements aren’t going away and neither will the need for self-defense or less-than-lethal weaponry. Recent events highlight the need to better quantify and analyze physiological risks that pepper spray use pose on humans.
Kaminski, R.J., Edwards, S.M., Johnson, J.W. Assessing the incapcitative effects of pepper spray during resistive encounters with the police. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management. 1999; 22(1): 7-30
Pershing, L.K., Reilly, C.A., Corlett, J.L., Crouch, D.J. Assessment of pepper spray product potency in Asian and Caucasian forearm skin using transepidermal water loss, skin temperature and reflectance colorimetry. Journal of Applied Toxicology 2006; (26): 88-97
Reilly CA, Crouch DJ, Yost GS. Quantitative analysis of capsaicinoids in fresh peppers, oleoresin capsicum and pepper spray products. Journal of Forensic Science 2001;46(3):502–509
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