What Is Pepper Spray and How It Is Used

The active ingredient in pepper spray is oleoresin capsicum (OC), a natural oil found in many types of hot peppers, including cayenne peppers and other chili peppers. OC contains a compound called capsaicin, which is what's responsible for the spicy sensation when you eat a hot pepper. It's odorless, colorless, and even flavorless, but just one milligram (about 0.00003 ounces) of pure capsaicin is enough to cause blisters to form on your skin.

Pepper spray is usually dispensed from an aerosol canister. To make it easier to spray, OC oil is mixed with a water-based or oil-based solution. It's also mixed with a propellant, a solution that allows it to shoot outward, and then the entire solution is pressurized inside the canister. Using an aerosol canister allows you to spray farther -- and in many cases wider -- than other types of spray containers. There are three common spray patterns for liquid pepper spray dispensers:

• Stream -- A narrow stream of liquid is expelled. This concentrates the solution on the area being sprayed, but is more difficult to aim accurately.
• Mist -- A mist of fine liquid is sprayed. This allows the spray to cover a larger area and makes it easier to hit the target's face.
• Fog -- A fog is similar to a mist but has a wider range of spray.

Most personal pepper spray dispensers are around 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) tall and about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) wide, with a button or trigger to release the spray, and a safety mechanism to help prevent accidents. These dispensers are small enough to be carried in a pocket or a purse and relatively light, and can dispense anywhere from one to 60 bursts of pepper spray solution.

Although pepper spray can be concealed in something as innocent as a pink lipstick tube, its effects are very serious. Continue reading to find out what happens to the body when a person is sprayed with pepper spray.

The Effects of Pepper Spray:

When you hold a pepper in your hand, it probably doesn't feel any hotter than if you were holding an apple or a plum. But when the pepper comes into contact with your lips or your tongue, you can definitely feel the heat. This is because the capsaicin in the pepper reacts with the nerve endings in your body's mucous membranes that are sensitive to heat and cold. This explains why biting into a spicy pepper can actually feel like your mouth is burning.

Because capsaicin is the same component that makes peppers seem hot, its potency is measured in Scoville heat units (SHU) -- a heat scale used to rate the heat level of peppers. The overall heat level is based on the amount of capsaicin present. Typical pepper spray is rated between about 500,000 and 5,000,000 SHU. By comparison, a jalapeño pepper is only around 8,000 SHU, and a habanero is close to 350,000 SHU.

The severity of the effects of pepper spray varies depending upon the amount of pepper spray that's used, the strength of the spray and where it's sprayed. If sprayed directly into a person's face, the effects may be more intense or long-lasting. When pepper spray is sprayed at an attacker, the burning sensation they would feel is just the tip of the iceberg.

If you were sprayed in the face with pepper spray, you would immediately feel a burning sensation in your eyes, nose and mouth, and possibly even your throat and on your skin. This burning feeling, if left untreated, can last anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes. Your eyes would become irritated and probably swell shut, causing temporary blindness that can last from 15 to 30 minutes. You might also begin coughing and find it difficult to breathe as your throat swells -- this can last from 3 to 15 minutes.