What is Pepper Spray?
Pepper Spray is an aerosol spray used for self-defense.
Pepper Spray is a defense spray.
Pepper spray consists of a concentrated agent injected
into a canister and dispersed, or sprayed, by aerosol.
The concentrated agent is Oleoresin Capsicum.
Oleoresin Capsicum is extracted from chili peppers and is
the chemical that gives peppers their hot quality. That
is why it is called pepper spray. Also, Oleoresin
Capsicum is known as “OC” for short. That is
why pepper spray is commonly referred to as OC
pepper spray.
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What is Mace?
Just as many people mistakenly refer to tissue paper as
“Kleenex” or refer to a photocopy as a “Xerox,”
many people refer to defense sprays as “Mace.”
Mace is a brand name that carries a registered trademark
owned by Mace Security International (MSI). MSI originally
marketed a particular tear gas self defense spray. Today,
Mace brand defense sprays either contain OC pepper, tear
gas or both.
go2safety.com carries Mace brand products.
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What is Tear Gas?
There are three major chemicals used as tear gasses:
1. CS
2. CN
3. CR
The first two are CS and CN, short for orthochlorobenzalmalononitrile
and chloroacetophenone, respectively.
A third, code named CR (dibenz(b,f)-1,4-oxazepin), has
not come into civilian use.
Both CS and CN tear gas are synthesized chemicals known
as lachrymators. A lachrymator is a substance that produces
profuse tearing.
At standard temperature and pressure, these chemicals are
actually white crystals with fairly low vapor pressures,
not gasses, and they are not very soluble in water. In order
to disperse them, they are suspended in a liquid carrier
and aerosolized.
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Pepper Spray v. Tear Gas
Pepper spray is not tear gas. Tear gas is not pepper spray.
Pepper spray is a defense spray. Tear gas can be used as
a defense spray.
Two important differences between pepper spray and tear
gas are:
1. Tear gas is an irritant, and therefore its effectiveness
relies mainly on pain compliance.
Pepper spray is an inflammatory agent. The response to
contact with pepper spray is involuntary
which makes pepper spray a very effective weapon against
drug or alcohol impaired assailants or animals that may
not respond to pain.
As Doug Lamb writes in “Tactical Use of Defense Sprays”
- When a person is sprayed with OC pepper spray, two things
happen instantly. First, the person’s eyes clamp shut,
hard. Not only that, but if that person does manage to force
his eyes open, the person still cannot see because the OC
dilates the capillaries and causes temporary blindness.
Second, an immediate fit of uncontrollable coughing doubles
the person over because the OC causes instant inflammation
of the breathing tissues, restricting all but life support
breathing. An assailant who is sprayed with OC stops what
he is doing and stops what he is thinking – period.
This is true even for those who are drunk, on drugs, or
psychotic.
2. Tear gas has a very high level of toxicity.
OC pepper spray is totally non-toxic.
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We Highly Recommend the Booklet “Tactical
Use of Defense Sprays.”
This 32-page booklet teaches choosing a defense spray,
how to carry it, how to shoot it, what to do about multiple
assailants, date rape protection, using defense sprays against
guns and knives, home tactical use and much, much more about
the realities of protecting yourself with defense sprays.
Written by nationally recognized self-defense expert Doug
Lamb.
Click here to see the
“Tactical Use of Defense Sprays.”
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Are All Pepper Sprays the Same?
No, all pepper sprays are not the same.
Pepper sprays are rated in two ways: Percentage of Oleoresin
Capsicum in the agent itself, and the “hotness”
of the spray, which is measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU’s).
The percentage of OC has nothing to do with the SHU rating,
and vice versa.
One of the biggest misconceptions about pepper spray is
that the higher the OC percentage, the hotter and more effective
the spray. In most cases, this could not be further from
the truth. The best, fastest incapacitating pepper sprays
in the world are from 2% to 10% OC. The lighter the fluid,
the faster is penetrates the membranes.
So, the percentage of OC is important, but even more important
is the SHU rating, as the percentage has nothing to do with
the actual SHU rating or "hotness" of the spray.
A pepper spray with 2,000,000 SHU’s is twice as hot
as a pepper spray with 1,000,000 SHU’s.
By the way, 2,000,000 SHU’s is a substantial rating
for an effective pepper spray.
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The Physical Effects of Pepper Spray
Pepper Spray has four physiological effects that may be
experienced:
1. Eyes – tearing, involuntary closing or complete
closing due to dilation of the eye capillaries. Eyes will
appear red/bloodshot for 30 to 60 minutes. People wearing
eyeglasses or contact lenses will be equally affected.
2. Respiratory System – immediate inflammation, including
swelling of the throat lining which can restrict the airway
size. Respiratory functions return to normal within 10 to
45 minutes. The airway will be open enough to allow for
sufficient oxygen flow for survival. Due to the reduced
airway flow, the person will probably not receive enough
oxygen to continue fighting or other sustained physical
exertion. Temporary paralysis of the larynx. Uncontrollable
coughing, retching, and gasping for air with a gagging sensation
in the throat.
3. Effect on the skin: inflammation of the exposed skin
with a burning sensation.
4. Effects on muscle coordination: pepper spray exposure
may cause a person to lose balance due to the effect of
pepper spray on vision.
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How Can I Be Assured My Pepper Spray Will Work
When I Need It?
You should get in the habit of testing your defense spray
every 90 days. To do this first go outside and determine
which direction the wind is blowing. Remember to always
stand upwind from the direction you are spraying. Depress
the firing mechanism for ½ second. This test should
be performed upon purchase and every 90 days after that.
Be aware that every time you test your spray you reduce
the contents of the canister. If you are using a key chain
model and you test regularly you will need to replace the
unit every 9 to 12 months if you follow the recommended
testing procedure above.
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How Long Will My Pepper Spray Last?
Most pepper sprays have an expiration date stamped on the
canister, usually 2 to 4 years from the time of manufacture.
Although the spray life is indefinite it does start to
lose potency over time. Any use of the spray beyond the
expiration date is highly unadvisable. We strongly
advise you to replace your pepper spray every year! That
way you are always assured of the potency of the spray.
Take your old one to a safe place and target practice with
it. Become familiar with how far it will spray, how to unlock
it, etc. When practicing with your defensive spray, be aware
of air movements and wind patterns and be very careful not
to contaminate yourself.
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How is Pepper Spray Made?
Pepper spray is derived from hot peppers. The oils are
extracted from the hot peppers using a high-pressure process.
This process leaves you with the active ingredient in pepper
spray known as Oleoresin Capsicum, or “OC.”
OC is a reddish-orange, oily liquid, insoluble in water.
The pure pepper extract is then diluted with an inert ingredient
that reduces the “hotness” of the extract to
get it down to a useable level for pepper spray.
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The History of Pepper Spray
Oleoresin capsicum spray was developed at the University
of Georgia by Professor James H. Jenkins and Dr. Frank Hayes,
D.V.M., in 1960. That formula under the brand name Halt
Animal Repellent was first sold in 1963. Like tear gas,
oleoresin capsicum (OC) is non-lethal and induces temporary
incapacitation with no known long-term effects. In 1989
the Firearms Training Unit (FTU) of the FBI Academy in Quantico,
Virginia, completed three years of intensive research on
OC, following which the FBI authorized the use of OC for
its special agents and SWAT teams. In addition, OC has proven
effective against domestic and wild animals without endangering
the animals or the environment. OC, in proper dispensing
systems, has been successfully used to stop grizzly bear
attacks in Alaska and pit bull dog attacks in California
and Texas. The US Postal Service also issues OC to its letter
carriers and animal control facilities also issue animal
repellent to its officers to protect them from dog bites.
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The History of Scoville Heat Units (SHU’s)
Scoville Heat Units (SHU's) is the measurement of the “hotness”
of pepper.
All types of chili peppers, including green peppers, jalapenos,
and habaneros, all contain an unusually powerful compound
found in no other plant, an alkaloid called capsaicin.
Capsaicin is the horticultural term for the genus that
chili peppers are classified. A single drop of tasteless
and odorless capsaicin in 100,000 drops of water is very
noticeable. In fact, capsaicin can be detected by humans
at one part per million.
In 1912, pharmacologist Wilbur Scoville developed a standard
for measuring the power of capsaicin: the Scoville Organaleptic
Test.
Scoville measured exact weights of chili peppers and dissolved
the capsaicin in alcohol. This solution was then diluted
with sugar water until it was no longer detectable to the
human palate. A panel of five taste testers would taste
the solution and three of them had to agree before a value
was assigned. If, for example, it took 1,000 parts of water
to one part of capsaicin, it was said to have 1,000 Scoville
Heat Units.
This method was useful for calculating the temperature
of peppers used in many pharmaceutical products such has
heat rubs. Today, high-performance liquid chromatography
is used to measure the capsaicin content in peppers. It
measures capsaicin levels in parts per million which is
then converted to Scoville Heat Units (SHU’s). The
pepper scale ranges from zero Scoville Heat Units for a
bell pepper to 5,000 or so SHU’s for a jalapeno, to
a whopping 200,000 to 300,000 SHU’s for a habanero.
Pure capsaicin is 15,000,000 SHU’s.
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