What to Do If You Are Sprinkled With Pepper
Pepper spray (including the brand name Mace) causes severe tingling and burning sensations in the eyes and nose. If you’ve been exposed to pepper spray, you’ll need to rinse off the chemical. Water works, but it’s not the only option.
What’s in a pepper spray?
Pepper spray is so named because it contains capsaicin, a chemical that makes chili peppers pungent. If you’ve ever rubbed your eyes after chopping jalapeno peppers, you get the idea. It can irritate other parts of your body, including the mucous membranes of your mouth, nose, and vulva (wash your hands very well before going to the bathroom and drying off).
Capsaicin is oily, and you may remember from your chemistry lessons (or kitchen experiences) that oil dissolves best in other oils or emulsifying mixtures such as soap or milk. Soap is best for removing capsaicin from your skin, but you need to be more gentle on your eyes.
How to get rid of pepper spray in your eyes?
Remove contact lenses – ideally – with clean hands – if you have them. Don’t rub your eyes. (Don’t rub or touch anything if you can help.) Blink constantly.
As with tear gas , rinsing your eyes with water is an effective and safe way to get rid of the pepper spray. (Ideally, a friend can help you, as you may have vision problems.) Although the water does not bind to the chemical, the flow of water can physically push the capsaicin out of your eyes. For this reason, spray directly in your eyes and not on other parts of your face – if you get pepper spray on your forehead, you don’t want it to get into your eyes.
Besides water, you can also use saline or some tear-free baby shampoo mixed with water (mix it in a spray bottle or spray bottle beforehand).
Less commonly, milk and a 50/50 mixture of an antacid such as maalox and water are recommended. It’s unclear if they actually perform better than the options above, and overall it’s best not to overlook anything unnecessary. If you do use an antacid, make sure it is not scented. Mint flavor, especially, will irritate your eyes even more.
In cold weather or in places where you don’t have access to water, a cloth or paper towel dipped in vegetable oil can help; rub their eyes. Frontline Wellness, a group that provides medical support during the protests, has a more complete guide to dealing with pepper spray here .
It’s also worth noting that Mace makes their own brand of disinfectant spray, although they don’t say what it contains. You can buy it here . They say this “dramatically shortens the decontamination time of the pepper spray.”
Remove the pepper spray from your skin and clothing.
If you touch another part of your face or clothing and then touch your eyes, you will feel a burning sensation again.
Soap is the best way to remove pepper spray from your skin. Bring some dish soap and paper towels to dry off your skin. You will also want to wash your clothes and plan to wash or discard any other items that may have been sprayed. Be careful when removing clothing, and if you are away from home, wrap clothing and other contaminated items in a plastic bag so they cannot transfer the chemical to other people or objects.
Like tear gas, pepper spray should be painful in the short term, but mostly harmless in the long term. However, it can cause complications in some people, including breathing problems in people with asthma. Seek medical attention if anyone has breathing problems.
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