Frequently Asked questions About Pepper sprays
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North American Security Products, LLC
FAQ about pepper sprays |
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Frequently Asked questions About Pepper sprays |
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These are some of the most common questions we get asked about pepper sprays. If you have a question that's not answered here, Please feel free to email us at info@naselfdefense.com and we'll email you back with an answer as quickly as we can. As you can imagine...we get a lot of emails everyday, so please try to be patient if it takes a day or two before we get back to you.
Please note: We will not knowingly ship any pepper sprays to a location where they are prohibited by law. We have compiled a list of the ones we are aware of, but ultimately it is up to you to check with the local laws concerning the legality of defensive sprays in your own area.
Pepper Spray Laws and Restrictions
What's the difference between the types of Defense Sprays on the market?
How many Scoville heat units should a Pepper spray have to be effective?
Why are some sprays labeled 5%, some 10%, some 17% etc. what's the difference?
What's the difference between the types of Defense Sprays on the market?
There are basically three different types of Defense sprays.
1. CN (tear gas) works as an irritant and causes severe tearing of the eyes, sensitivity to light, and a burning sensation to exposed skin.
2. CS (Orthochlorobenzylidenemalononitrile) <even I can't pronounce that one>. CS is an irritant much like CN. It causes burning of the eyes, irritation of the skin, and to some degree, respiratory distress. When exposed to enough of it, it may also cause severe vomiting.
Because the above types of sprays are classified as irritants, they have been known to be ineffective against people who are psychotic, under the influence of narcotics or alcohol, or individuals that are highly resistant to pain.
3. OC (Oleoresin Capsicum) OC is basically a highly concentrated extract of hot chili peppers. Unlike CN and CS, it is an inflammatory agent not an irritant. It affects the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs causing temporary blindness, respiratory distress and to some degree, a severe burning sensation. Because it is an inflammatory agent instead of an irritant, it is highly effective against individuals who are psychotic, under the influence of drugs or resistant to pain.
Because of its effectiveness, OC is the most commonly used ingredient in defensive sprays today.
What are the effects of pepper spray on a person?
As an inflammatory agent, Pepper Spray affects the soft tissue and mucous membranes, causing them to become inflamed.
The general reaction from being sprayed in the face is...
The capillaries in the eyes will swell up causing a lot of pain, uncontrollable tears and temporary blindness.
The mucous membranes in the nose, throat and lungs will also swell, making it difficult to breath. And the victim will feel a severe burning sensation.
These effects will generally last about 20 to 30 minutes (sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less)
It's difficult for me to describe exactly what it feels like with mere words... But I'll try to give you a visual...
Think of the last time you bit into some really spicy food, or a really hot chili pepper, or tried some extra hot Tabasco sauce...You can try this right now if you want.
You take a small bite... start chewing... and in about 2 seconds your lips and tongue start to get hot. Then it feels like your tongue is swelling, and your eyes begin to tear up. You may even start to sweat a little as you feel your face going flush. Drinking water only spreads it around and makes it worse. You start to choke a little and your friends are either asking you if you’re ok, or they’re laughing their butts off at how silly you look running around the room in circles.
After a few minutes, things start to cool off and you’re just glad it’s over.
Now take that sensation, times it
by a couple hundred, and rub it all over your face, in your eyes, up your nose
and in your mouth. That might give you some idea of what it feels like to be
shot in the face with pepper spray.
Scoville heat unit (SHU) is a scale used for determining how hot a hot pepper is. It was first developed around 1912 by a pharmacist named Wilbur Scoville. The Scoville scale is the accepted standard for measuring chemical heat. Even though there are now more advanced methods for determining the exact amount of chemical heat in a chili pepper, the scale is still called the Scoville heat unit scale in honor of its inventor. To give you an idea of the ratings...
A Sweet Bell Pepper has a rating of 0 SHU
A Jalapeno Pepper has a rating of between 3000 and 8000 SHU
Tabasco Sauce and Cayenne Pepper have a rating of between 30,000 and 60,000 SHU
A Habanero Pepper has a rating of Between 100,000 and 350,000 SHU
Our Defensive sprays have a rating of at least 2,000,000 SHU
There is still a bit of debate on this question. Obviously, the more SHU, the hotter the Spray is. But how hot is hot enough?
Most, if not all legitimate sources will agree that a quality defensive spray should be at least 1,500,000 SHU to be highly effective.
There are some brands on the market that boast 7,500,000 SHU which causes some people to think, the hotter the better, right? It's true that the hotter the pepper spray - the more devastating the effects, but there is a growing number of chemists that are warning against sprays with a rating above 5,000,000 SHU because it may cause some permanent tissue damage.
Many of you are thinking, so what? if a bad guy attacks me they deserve permanent tissue damage to remind them not to do it again.
I couldn't agree more, but the flip side of that coin is if you or someone you're with happens to get caught in any splash-back from the spray, it could be a very unfortunate situation.
As a general rule, we recommend a spray around 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 SHU.
Why are some sprays labeled 5%, some 10%, some 17% etc. what's the difference?
Remember, when purchasing a defensive spray always go by the listed heat units and not the % of OC.
Which Pepper Spray is right for me?
Some of our most popular sellers are the Stunning ring and the keychain pepper spray both which allow you to carry your defensive spray with you all the time without being too obvious. These sprays are easily accessible and they're not big and bulky.
On the other hand, we sell a great deal of larger pepper sprays to security and law enforcement personnel.
There really is no one size fits all answer for this one, but if you'd like to email us at info@naselfdefense.com and give us your situation, we will be happy to recommend a product for you.
Information on Pepper Spray