Pepper defense spray is simple, easy to use, convenient to
carry and is one of the most affordable self defense products available today.
Pepper Spray is a great way to protect yourself from an attacker. Hit your
attacker in the face and eyes with pepper spray and run for help.
Pepper spray is an inflammatory agent as opposed to an irritant
like Mace. It causes immediate closing of the eyes, difficulty breathing,
runny nose, and coughing. The duration of its effects depend on the strength
of the spray but the average full effect lasts around thirty to forty-five
minutes, with diminished effects lasting for hours.
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Please check the legality
of pepper spray in your city and state.
Facts
And Misconceptions Of Pepper Spray
By:
Glenn
Freiboth
What is Pepper Spray?
Pepper spray or
oleoresin capsicum (OC), is a natural substance derived from the oily resins
found in cayenne and other varieties of pepper. Contact with OC in a sprayed
mist induces an immediate and intense burning sensation of the skin but
especially impacts the eyes causing them to slam shut, burn, tear, swell.
Also, the mucous membranes of the nose, throat, and sinuses burn, swell and
make breathing difficult. In fact, even though tear gas is fairly nasty, it
does not have the same inflammation and swelling effects of OC. Plus OC will
not degrade over time like tear gas. People under the influence of drugs or
who are otherwise immune to pain may be able to keep their eyes open when
sprayed with tear gas but not so with OC. When sprayed in the eyes, the eyes
will involuntarily slam shut whether they feel pain or not. This temporary
blindness causes fear and disorientation allowing you to escape and get help.
All new 10% OC
(Oleoresin Capsicum) formula @ 2 million Scoville Heat Units and asome,
unbeatable Fox 2% (even faster acting) OC (Oleoresin Capsicum) formula @ 5.3
million Scoville Heat Units with identifying ultraviolet dye. It is the
strongest OC formula allowed by law. Non-toxic and non-flammable. Effects last
for 20 to 90 minutes. Units can be fired many times and have a range of 8 to
20 feet, depending on model.
OC is a derivative
of HOT CAYENNE PEPPERS and is the newest defensive spray agent. It is not an
irritant like the tear gases, but an inflammatory agent. Contact with mucous
membranes (eyes, nose, throat and lungs) will cause IMMEDIATE dilation of the
capillaries of the eyes, resulting in TEMPORARY BLINDNESS and instant
inflammation of the breathing tube tissues, cutting off ALL BUT LIFE-SUPPORT
BREATHING. OC will not deteriorate with age and unlike the tear gasses, WILL
NOT CAUSE LASTING AFTEREFFECTS.
Misconceptions
about Defense Spray
One of the biggest
misconceptions about defense spray is that the higher the percentage, the
hotter and better it works. In most cases this could not be further from the
truth. Most of the best, fastest incapacitating sprays in the world are from
2%-10%. The lighter the fluid, the faster is penetrates the membranes. The
percentage has nothing to do with the actual SHU or "hot" in the spray. Also,
thicker sprays can inflame the skin area more and last longer with this
unnecessary inflammation. A good spray will put the attacker down and out
allowing you to escape or take control of the situation.
Because it is an
inflammatory, rather than an irritant, OC is effective against all those who
feel no pain such as psychotics, drunks and drug abusers. OC has proven itself
to be the ABSOLUTE BEST DETERRENT available for attacking dogs and wild animal
control. Another major advantage of OC is that it is not volatile and will not
emit a lot of fumes like tear gases.
The term OC
(oleoresin capsicum) is a horticultural term which refers to chili peppers.
There are many different kinds of chili peppers ranging from jalapenos,
chiletpin, and cayenne to habaneros. They all have one thing in common. They
all contain a substance that is very powerful -- an alkaloid called capsaicin
(cap-say-a-sin). Just a single drop of tasteless and odorless capsaicin in
100,000 drops of water and the heat can be noticeable. In fact, capsaicin can
be detected by humans at one part per ten million!
Capsaicinoids are
produced by a gland in the pepper's placenta, which is the top partition just
below the stem. This is also where the seeds are attached. The placenta is
about 16 times stronger than any other part of the plant, any OC spray worth
its salt will use its active ingredient made from this part.
Back in 1912, a
pharmacologist named Wilbur Scoville came up with the standard for measuring
the power of capsaicin. Called the Scoville Organoleptic Test, it was needed
to calculate the temperature of peppers used in many pharmaceutical products
of the time (such as "Heet" which was used for the relief of sore muscles,
arthritis pain and muscular sprains). Scoville measured the ground pepper into
a mixture of sugar, water and alcohol. Then, a panel of five tasters sipped
the mixture and gave it a grade; it took a majority of three to assign a value.
Today, the value
is established through high technology, a computerized method called
high-performance liquid chromatography. The pepper scale ranges from zero
Scoville unit for a bell pepper to 5,000 or so for a jalapeno to a whopping
200,000 - 300,000 for a habanero! Pure capsaicin is 15,000,000. The oleoresin
capsicum used in a superior pepper spray formula is derived from the hottest
peppers and further processed and refined until the heat rating is 5,300,000
(5.3 million!).
Pepper spray is
used everywhere today from personal use to use by law enforcement officials.
This spray however is not allowed on an airplane? You cannot carry any pepper
spray or stun gun on an airplane or in carry-on luggage. You can, however take
a can (up to 4 oz.) in your checked baggage.
Article
Source:
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