Immune to Pepper Spray??

**EmuL8** · 22-03-2013, 14:15

Hi all,

Firstly please don't laugh, I know this sounds funny and might cause some people to win Darwin awards but I am quite serious about this.

I have read that the BG's often spray people with various types of pepper spray. Obviously there is some sort of gas/element present in all of these pepper sprays that causes you to be incapacitated for a while.

My question is this, is it possible to become sort of immune to pepper spray?
Would there be ANY benefit to slowly, and under controlled environment, expose oneself to pepper spray in the hope to have less and less negative symptoms?

I am not suggesting that you do this every afternoon and after a month or so you can breath the stuff and not even blink... I'm just hoping that if you do it, say once a week/month that after a while you will at least not roll on the floor, eyes all teared up, sinus burning like hell and your nose is running away. Obviously there will still be some side effects, but hopefully you will still be in a position to defend yourself.

What do you say? YES / NO / I'M CRAZY??

Would like to get your input on this

**Skaaphaas** · 22-03-2013, 14:24

Spoke to some other forum members about this the other day. Apparently it is not like tear gas where you can get immune from it, but the effects can be lessened.

They likened it to eating hot (spicy) food. If you regularly eat very spicy food, your body does not react to it so badly. Like tabasco. Give it to someone who followed a primarily english diet, and he'll likely say that it burns too much. Give it to someone that has a more indian diet, he won't feel the burn that much.

With pepper spray the active ingredient is...pepper. Capsicum. So while the effects can be lessened to a certain extent, I doubt you'll ever get "immune" to it.

**Guesswho** · 22-03-2013, 14:24

I'm not an expert and have never been sprayed but I think you would be able to build up a tolerance to it like with any hot food.

**Springer** · 22-03-2013, 14:29

Emul8. We nominate you to spray yourself in the face twice a day, and let us know how it goes...

:)

**long range** · 22-03-2013, 14:36

I did witness a guy under the influence of drags being spray several times, he react like some one that got spray with water, he went down only after he was teased, apparently this guy after many years of being at the wrong side of the law developed some sort of tolerance to the substance, the drags in his system just contribute to his ability to withstand it

**Semi** · 22-03-2013, 15:23

There are a couple okes hooked on drags in the East Rand

**EmuL8** · 22-03-2013, 15:34

Thanks for all the feedback so far.

@Skaaphaas, excuse my ignorance, but what is the difference between tear gas and pepper spray?

@Springer, supply me with the goods and I will give it a try

@Long Range, that is exactly my point, I would think that most of these BG's are on 'drags' as you call it when committing a crime, so pepper spray would have no effect on them. The same probably goes for a rather poor shot from a small caliber in a non-vital area to the body.

**Skaaphaas** · 22-03-2013, 15:47

I'm no expert at all. The active ingredients differ vastly, though, but someone with more knowledge will pitch in soon, I hope.

**STREETRACER** · 22-03-2013, 17:44

I'm no expert but been in contact with pepper spray twise and I don't see anyone getting used to it soon atleast..1st time my friend wanted to smell it ans sprayed it about 3 meters from me and a draft just got some of it in my eyes and it was bad enough.2nd time a customer and his buddy assulted the manager at our local midas and I assisted to get things under control, this just ended up in one massive brawl and the security sprayed the lot of us with pepper spray. 1 can pepper spray 4 men to the ground and nothing gets that burn out of your eyes, sinus or lungs.. Rather fill up the air vents in the house or get a detector (eye) in your yard connected to your alarm

**ikor** · 22-03-2013, 18:24

Some people are bothered less by Pepper Spray than others, and that is a fact. What we don't know is why. Technically, it should effect most people in the same manner if sprayed directly into the eyes and mouth areas. It acts as an inflammatory agent, causing the pupils of the eyes to dialate and the mucous membranes of the mouth to swell, thus shutting down the 'deep breathing' capability through the mouth. *Life support" breathing through the nasal passages is still possible since they are cartlidge.

While I personally know a Police Trainer who could literally bath in the stuff and remain uneffected, very few will have that ability. Mostly what we see when people are not instantly effected is that cops have dumped WAAAyyy too much on the perp. That means the carrying agent (isopropyl alcohol, Dymel 22 liquid nitrogen, etc) has to evaporate before the OC agent can start to take full effect. We also see misses, partial hits, and bad guys who have been sprayed before and realize it won't kill them, thus they continue resistance.

All in all, however, it is a good product and...again, theoretically...it should not be possible to develop an immunity to it...but a few seem to have a natural immunity.