Pepper Spray
Effects
Pepper spray, also known as OC spray (from "Oleoresin Capsicum"), OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent (a chemical compound that irritates the eyes to cause tears, pain, and even temporary blindness) that is used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears. Its inflammatory effects cause the eyes to close, taking away vision. This temporary blindness allows officers to more easily restrain subjects and permits persons using pepper spray for self-defense an opportunity to escape. Although considered a less-than-lethal agent, it has been deadly in rare cases, and concerns have been raised about a number of deaths where being pepper sprayed may have been a contributing factor. The active ingredient in pepper spray is capsaicin, which is a chemical derived from the fruit of plants in the Capsicum genus, including chilis. Extraction of oleoresin capsicum from peppers involves finely ground capsicum, from which capsaicin is extracted in an organic solvent such as ethanol. The solvent is then evaporated, and the remaining waxlike resin is the oleoresin capsicum. An emulsifier such as propylene glycol is used to suspend the OC in water, and pressurized to make it aerosol in pepper spray. The high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method is used to measure the amount of capsaicin and major capsaicinoids within pepper sprays. A synthetic analogue of capsaicin, pelargonic acid vanillylamide (desmethyldihydrocapsaicin), is used in another version of pepper spray known as PAVA spray which is used in the United Kingdom. Another synthetic counterpart of pepper spray, pelargonic acid morpholide, was developed and is widely used in Russia. Its effectiveness compared to natural pepper spray is unclear. Pepper spray typically comes in canisters, which are often small enough to be carried or concealed in a pocket or purse. Pepper spray can also be bought concealed in items such as rings. There are also pepper spray projectiles available, which can be fired from a paintball gun. It has been used for years against demonstrators. Many such canisters also contain dyes, either visible or UV-reactive, to mark an attacker's skin and/or clothing to enhance identification by police. The word Mace, a registered trademark of Mace Security International, is often used synonymously with pepper spray or tear gas; Mace was one of the original manufacturers of nonlethal security sprays in the US. However, not all of their products can be considered pepper spray. In California, the container holding the defense spray must contain no more than 2.5 ounces (71 g) net weight of aerosol spray Pepper spray is an inflammatory agent. It causes immediate closing of the eyes, difficulty breathing, runny nose, and coughing. The duration of its effects depends on the strength of the spray but the average full effect lasts around thirty to forty-five minutes, with diminished effects lasting for hours. The Journal of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science published a study that concluded that single exposure of the eye to OC is harmless, but repeated exposure can result in long-lasting changes in corneal sensitivity. They found no lasting decrease in visual acuity. The European Parliament Scientific and Technological Options Assessment (STOA) published in 1998 “An Appraisal of Technologies of Political Control” with extensive information on pepper spray and tear gas. They write: The effects of pepper spray are far more severe, including temporary blindness which lasts from 15–30 minutes, a burning sensation of the skin which lasts from 45 to 60 minutes, upper body spasms which force a person to bend forward and uncontrollable coughing making it difficult to breathe or speak for between 3 to 15 minutes. UC
Davis Protestors Pepper Sprayed
Police pepper spraying and arresting
students at UC Davis, Nov 18, longer
video 
3:26 
2:55
3:58
1:56 For those with asthma, taking other drugs, or subject to restraining techniques which restrict the breathing passages, there is a risk of death. The Los Angeles Times reported in 1995 at least 61 deaths associated with police use of pepper spray since 1990 in the USA. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) documented 27 people in police custody who died after exposure to pepper spray in California since 1993. However, the ACLU report counts any death occurring within hours of exposure to pepper spray. In all 27 cases, the coroners' report listed other factors as the primary cause of death, though in some cases the use of pepper spray may have been a contributing factor. The US Army concluded in a 1993 Aberdeen Proving Ground study that pepper spray could cause "[m]utagenic effects, carcinogenic effects, sensitization, cardiovascular and pulmonary toxicity, neurotoxicity, as well as possible human fatalities. There is a risk in using this product on a large and varied population". However, the pepper spray was widely approved in the US despite the reservations of the US military scientists after it passed FBI tests in 1991. As of 1999, it was in use by more than 2000 public safety agencies. The head of the FBI's Less-Than-Lethal Weapons Program at the time of the 1991 study, Special Agent Thomas W. W. Ward, was fired by the FBI and was sentenced to two months in prison for receiving payments from a peppergas manufacturer while conducting and authoring the FBI study that eventually approved pepper spray for FBI use. Prosecutors said that from December 1989 through 1990, Ward received about $5,000 a month for a total of $57,500, from Luckey Police Products, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based company that was a major producer and supplier of pepper spray. The payments were paid through a Florida company owned by Ward's wife. Pepper spray has been associated with positional asphyxiation of individuals in police custody. There is much debate over the actual "cause" of death in these cases. There have been few controlled clinical studies of the human health effects of pepper spray marketed for police use, and those studies are contradictory. Some studies have found no harmful effects beyond the effects described above. Direct close-range spray can cause more serious eye irritation by attacking the cornea with a concentrated stream of liquid (the so-called "hydraulic needle" effect). Some brands have addressed this problem by means of an elliptically cone shaped spray pattern. Physical response immediately after exposure For individuals not previously exposed to OC effects, the general feelings after being sprayed can be best likened to being "set alight". The initial reaction should the spray be directed at the face, is the completely involuntary closing of the eyes (sometimes described as leading to a disconcerting sensation of the eyelids "bubbling and boiling" as the chemical acts on the skin), an instant sensation of the restriction of the airways and the general feeling of sudden and intense, searing pain about the face, nose and throat. Coughing almost always follows the initial spray. Subsequent breaths through the nose or mouth leads to ingestion of the chemical, which feeds the feeling of choking. Police are trained to repeatedly instruct the target to "breathe normally" if they complain of difficulty, as the shock of the exposure can generate considerable panic as opposed to actual physical symptoms. The burning reaction lasts, in some cases, for up to 4 hours. Intense headaches can result in some situations. On occasion seasoned offenders have complied immediately after production of OC spray canisters, often requesting TASER usage as opposed to OC spray usage due to total time of effects. Capsaicin is not soluble in water, and even large volumes of water will not wash it off. Victims are generally encouraged to blink vigorously in order to encourage tears, which will help flush the irritant from the eyes. A formal study of five often-recommended treatments for skin pain (Maalox, 2% lidocaine gel, baby shampoo, milk, or water) concluded that: "...there was no significant difference in pain relief provided by five different treatment regimens. Time after exposure appeared to be the best predictor for decrease in pain..." Dilute Chlorine Bleach has been used with very good results in ER situations for external use only (non-occular application). A 1 part to 5 part water solution is recommended. Using contact lens wetting solution seems to help occular relief. To avoid rubbing the spray into the skin, thereby prolonging the burning sensation, and in order to not spread the compound to other parts of the body, victims should try to avoid touching affected areas. There are also wipes, manufactured for the express purpose of serving to decontaminate someone who has received a dose of pepper spray. Many ambulance services and emergency departments use baby shampoo to remove the spray and with generally good effect. Some of the OC and CS will remain in the respiratory system, but a recovery of vision and the coordination of the eyes can be expected within 7 to 15 minutes. Some "triple-action" pepper sprays also contain "tear gas" (CS gas), which can be neutralized with sodium metabisulfite (Campden tablets, used in homebrewing), though it, too, is not water soluble and needs to be washed off using the same procedure as for pepper spray. Legality Pepper spray is banned for use in war
by Article I.5 of the Chemical Weapons Convention which bans
the use of all riot control agents in warfare whether lethal
or less-than-lethal. In the US, when pepper spray is used in
the workplace, OSHA requires a pepper spray MSDS be
available to all employees.
Something remarkable has been going on out there - especially at UC Davis. I have a hard time figuring out how to articulate it. I haven't yet seen anyone talk about quite what I'm seeing, so I'll give it a try. Here's what it looks like to me: Nonviolent activism is evolving rapidly right before our eyes. The level of spot-on - and often spontaneous - nonviolent creativity that's showing up exceeds what I've seen before, to an extent that I wonder if a fundamentally new and more powerful form of nonviolent action is emerging. The "Occupy" approach itself was
remarkable - the word "occupy" having gone viral in
virtually every aspect of society and Occupy encampments
becoming uncharacteristically persistent centers of news
focus. But most Occupy activism still seemed to me to be
within the bounds of traditional nonviolent action - albeit
without the kind of specific strategic goals or demands that
characterized the work of Gandhi, King, and others. That
lack of explicit goals and demands has created a dynamic
hothouse of change activities in and through which MANY
goals and demands - and visions and questions and
conversations - have been stimulated and heard and developed
and pursued. This ubiquitous diversity of public
engagements, it seems to me, itself constitutes a
significant contribution to the evolution of nonviolent
activism. I was just beginning to get a handle on that when
I heard about the silent protest that the UC Davis students
did after the now-infamous pepper spray incident which I
wrote about in my blog a few days ago http://post.ly/3xrXc
The Telegraph (UK) wrote: "According to reports Ms Katehi [the UC Davis Chancellor] initially refused to leave a campus building where she had just delivered a press conference regarding the incident after protesters gathered outside demanding her resignation. Following a three-hour stand-off, the university chancellor finally departed after students, who had been chanting 'we are peaceful' and 'just walk home', sat down in silence and linked arms." She had to walk three blocks between lines of silently seated protesters. While my initial response was to appreciate the students' powerful use of silence, I realized today another significant aspect was the speed with which this innovative response was born and implemented: It happened just one day after the incident that triggered it. Then I saw an 8 minute video that showed what happened IMMEDIATELY after the pepper spray incident . After a period of confused anger and upset, protesters chant "Who do you serve? Who do you protect?" (since many police departments have "serve" and "protect" in their mottos). Then they chant "Shame, shame!" then "Shame on you!!" The tension between the police and crowd grows palpable. The police become nervous, raising their pepperball guns protectively and threateningly. Things are about to get very ugly. And then suddenly - at 6 minutes 13 seconds into the video - someone in the crowd yells "MIC CHECK!" and the crowd yells back "Mic Check!" They say it again. The scene goes into a surreal suspended animation as the unknown initiator calls out a wisdom that the crowd had not possessed moments before, but now recognizes and follows:
8:34WE ARE WILLING (we are willing) ... The police look around at each other. They aren't sure what's going on.... TO GIVE YOU A BRIEF MOMENT (to give you a brief moment) ... The police start to lower their guns... OF PEACE (of peace) YOU MAY TAKE YOUR WEAPONS (you may take your weapons) AND OUR FRIENDS (and our friends) AND GO (and go) PLEASE DO NOT RETURN (please do not return) WE'RE GIVING YOU A MOMENT OF PEACE (we're giving you a moment of peace) WE'RE GIVING YOU A MOMENT OF PEACE (we're giving you a moment of peace) YOU CAN GO (you can go) WE WILL NOT FOLLOW YOU (we will not follow you) YOU CAN GO (you can go) YOU CAN GO (you can go) YOU CAN GO (you can go) The "You can go!" becomes a chant. The
police back off in a tight protective cluster, facing the
crowd, but slowly moving away.... The chant continues,
intensely. Finally the apparent officer in charge indicates
to the group of police they should leave and they all turn
around and slowly walk away. The crowd cheers, surges, and
cries out "Bye! Bye!" and "Yeah! Yeah!" Their enthusiastic
cheering and applause continue, basking in their sense of
moral and physical victory, while giving the cops lively
encouragement to continue their departure. As the police
near the edge of the quad, the crowd's chant changes to
"Who's quad? Our quad?!" And then organizers announce a
strike and assembly for Monday afternoon. (See another
report on all this at http://dynamicsymmetry.livejournal.com/1363034.html
Just the fact that all this happened
is remarkable. But I want to highlight the sophistication
and SPEED of the nonviolent response initiated by that
unknown participant in that angry student crowd facing the
armed police force - using the "Mic Check" carrier wave
developed by Occupy Wall Street. The intervention was
perfectly timed and urgently needed: just as the police
began raising their pepperball shotguns (http://bit.ly/vwZtpW
I was speechless when I first saw all this play out on the video. I could barely believe what I was seeing. Armed police backing up and leaving a crowd that had been spontaneously and brilliantly united into a powerful nonviolent Presence. (For more recent news from Davis, see
the Scott Galindez article below and http://bit.ly/sWNiTV Then someone sent me a video of the
gigantic "Batman" projection of OWS slogans on the side of a
major skyscraper in NYC during the Brooklyn Bridge
demonstration. See http://bit.ly/vWWAh5
There are standard methods and
guidelines for nonviolence, as described by such experienced
experts as the Alliance of Community Trainers
http://trainersalliance.org/?p=221
But these recent incidents make me wonder if distributed innovation, leadership, and creativity - which has always been part of nonviolent activism - is becoming more widespread, spontaneous, and powerful than ever - perhaps thanks to the web and social media. If this explosive nonviolence creativity continues to expand and deepen, It could generate a (r)evolutionary dynamic that will become almost impossible for status-quo systems to adapt to and neutralize. On a more fundamental level, I see leadership, itself, evolving. Despite widespread developments in horizontal, participatory, bottom-up forms of leadership, top-down authoritative leadership has retained considerable legitimacy in dangerous and urgent situations where everyone needs to align together quickly in right action in order to survive. The "You can go" intervention described above suggests that may be changing: even urgent dangerous situations may not require top-down leadership. It remains to be seen if emergent situational leadership amplified by the kind of crowd-sourced consensus that comes through twitter and the culture of General Assemblies ("Mic Check!") can dependably generate the kind of spur-of-the-moment wisdom and co-operation needed in such situations. If this capacity is going to develop
anywhere, it will likely develop within the participatory
culture and intense challenges being experienced by the
Occupy movement.
(Includes two powerful videos, on of the UC Davis Chancellor, one of a speech by one of the pepper-sprayed students, who is admirably AND militantly nonviolent) Excerpt: It would have been easy for students at UC Davis to riot after watching their classmates being assaulted with pepper spray. Instead, they remained nonviolent. That simple act gave them the moral high ground. And that's how social change movements grow. Rewind a couple of weeks. Occupy Oakland was in a similar situation. Police had violently cracked down on their encampment. Iraq War veteran Scott Olson almost died. They had the momentum, which led to a successful general strike that closed the Port of Oakland. As night fell on the day of that general strike, some of the protesters became violent. That violence turned public opinion, and slowed their momentum.... The authorities will continue to use violence in the hope that they can inspire a violent reaction from us. They know that scenes like the violence in Oakland after the general strike will kill the momentum of the movement. Let us learn from Oakland, and follow
the example set by Occupy Davis. Right now Oakland is
struggling to maintain a camp, while Occupy Davis is back,
bigger and stronger than ever. |
