The Dangerous Effects of Pepper Spray
Pepper spray use is not to be taken lightly because its effects can be severely harmful. As pepper spray products vary in its composition, its effects similarly vary as well. In any case, victims of pepper spray exposure can suffer from any combination of the effects listed below.
Skin
The first and unavoidable effect of pepper spray exposure is on the victim’s skin. Because pepper spray is, above all things, an inflammatory agent, the victim will experience an excruciating, burning sensation on the affected areas. Skin may also redden, swell, and even blister as a severe complication of pepper spray exposure.
Respiration
Skin is not only the part of your body that is affected when you’re exposed to pepper spray. Respiratory problems may also arise depending on the duration and extent of exposure.
Victims could suffer from bouts of dry cough, gagging, and wheezing. They could experience a burning sensation in their throat and difficulties with breathing and speaking.
If applied nasally, more ill effects follow. The victim could also start sneezing, experience greater irritation in the affected area, and suffer from reflex mucus secretion, which basically means suffering from a runny nose due to pepper spray exposure.
Directly inhaling pepper spray may also result to acute hypertension, which possibly leads to headaches and greater risk of having a heart attack. Other rare and severe respiratory complications include asystole, atrioventricular blockade, bradycardia, systemic vasodilation, apnea, and airway edema and constriction.
It’s important to note that studies suggest chronic low-dose exposure to pepper spray may still make a person suffer from unwanted respiratory effects. Thus, it’s important to limit your exposure to pepper spray as much as possible. If not, you could end up suffering from sneezing, coughing, and rhinorrhea. Skin burning and weight loss may even occur as a result. It’s also possible that you could develop bronchiectasis, pulmonary fibrosis, severe chronic bronchitis, and hemoptysis.
Eyes
Your eyes are arguably the most vulnerable to pepper spray exposure. When directly targeted, they will start to redden, swell, and sting unbearably. Victims will also suffer from blepharospasm, lacrimation, and conjuctival inflammation. Reflex or involuntary closing of eyelids is also possible.
Affected eyes may also suffer from superficial anesthesia and deficient blink reflex, which will then result to inevitable corneal abrasions from contact lenses and other foreign objects.
If the victim is already suffering from certain eye problems (recurrent corneal erosion, keratomalacia, or keratitis) then the effects could be more severe than usual. Suggested treatment for these individuals is a fifteen-minute period of water flushing at a minimum.
Obviously, pepper spray effects are far from trivial so use them wisely.