Impact of Oleoresin Capsicum Spray on Respiratory Function in Human Subjects in the Sitting and Prone Maximal Restraint Positions in San Diego County, 1998

Oleoresin capsicum (OC), or pepper spray, has gained wide
 acceptance as standard police equipment in law enforcement as a swift
 and effective method to subdue violent, dangerous suspects in the
 field. As a use-of-force method, however, OC spray has been alleged in
 the media to have been associated with a number of in-custody
 deaths. The goal of this study was to assess the safety of a
 commercially available OC spray in use by law enforcement agencies
 nationwide. The study was conducted as a randomized, cross-over,
 controlled trial on volunteer human subjects recruited from the local
 law enforcement training academy in San Diego County,
 California. Subjects participated in four different experimental
 trials in random order over two separate days in a pulmonary function
 testing laboratory: (a) placebo spray exposure followed by sitting
 position, (b) placebo spray exposure followed by restraint position,
 (c) OC spray exposure followed by sitting position, and (d) OC spray
 exposure followed by restraint position. Prior to participation,
 subjects completed a short questionnaire regarding their health
 status, history of lung disease and asthma, smoking history,
 medication use, and respiratory inhaler medication use. Prior to
 exposure, subjects also underwent a brief screening spirometry in the
 sitting position by means of a portable spirometry device to determine
 baseline pulmonary function. Subjects then placed their heads in a 5'
 x 3' x 3' exposure box that allowed their faces to be exposed to the
 spray. A one-second spray was delivered into the box from the end
 opposite the subject (approximately five feet away). Subjects remained
 in the box for five seconds after the spray was delivered. During this
 time, subjects underwent impedance monitoring to assess whether
 inhalation of the OC or placebo spray had occurred. After this
 exposure period, subjects were placed in either the sitting or prone
 maximal restraint position. Subjects remained in these positions for
 ten minutes. Repeat spirometric measurements were performed, oxygen
 saturation, blood pressure, end-tidal carbon dioxide levels, and pulse
 rate were recorded, and an arterial blood sample was drawn. A total of
 34 subjects completed the study, comprising 128 separate analyzable
 study trials. Variables provided in all three parts of this collection
 include subject's age, gender, ethnicity, height, weight, body mass
 index, past medical history, tobacco use history, and history of
 medication use, as well as OC spray or placebo exposure and sitting or
 restraint position during the trial. Part 1 also includes tidal
 volume, respiratory rate, and heart rate at baseline and at 1, 5, 7,
 and 9 minutes, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure at baseline
 and at 3, 6, and 9 minutes. Additional variables in Part 2 include
 predicted forced vital capacity and predicted forced expiratory volume
 in 1 second, and the same measures at baseline, 1.5 minutes, and 10
 minutes. Derived variables include percent predicted and mean percent
 predicted values involving the above variables. Part 3 also provides
 end-tidal carbon dioxide and oxygenation levels, oxygen saturation,
 oxygen consumption at baseline and at 1, 5, 7, and 9 minutes, blood
 pH, partial pressure of oxygen, and partial pressure of carbon dioxide
at 8 minutes.

Tags: law-enforcement, media-influence, police-equipment, police-training, police-use-of-force
Organization: Department of Justice