Chemical sprays are the most common thing for self defense. There are three general categories of active ingredients:.

CN – is the abbreviation for chloroaceptophene that was used by military and police departments in the 60’s and 70’s. This product is not really a gas, but rather crystals suspend in liquid and placed under pressure to create a vapor. Tear gas products such as MACE have proven to be less effective against violent attackers, especially those under the influence of narcotics and alcohol. Moreover, these tear gas products have a fairly slow reaction time of three to thirty seconds.

CS – also known as orthochlorobenzalmalononitrile. A micro-pulverized irritant that irritates the mucous membrane of the nose, throat, eyes, and the skin in high concentrations. Works better than CN, but not readily available to the public both of these can be toxic and cause serious vomiting and chocking may not all be effective against dogs since they lack lactimal glands.

OC – short for oleoresin capsicum, which is extracted from chili peppers and is commonly called Pepper Spray. It is the most widely sold today . Pepper spray is generally regarded to be the most distressing to experience, but it must be sprayed directly in the eyes or inhaled to be most effective. Direct facial contact and inhalation of the spray will induce coughing, choking, and nausea, as well as dilation of the eye capillaries resulting in temporary blindness. A one second burst can affect an attacker for up to 45 minutes without causing permanent damage.

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