# Policeman pepper sprays pizza at traffic stop. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 3, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241 "2013-08-03T13:21:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/161 "2013-08-08T04:22:07Z")
\ Well done indeed! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/162 "2013-08-08T04:36:13Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Well, that was interesting. I certainly didn’t expect the pepper spray to be visible, but it does sort of blend in with the other ingredients. Thank you for volunteering your taste buds. Let us know how it comes out the other end. I doubt if the amount ingested will make any difference down the tubes, and so far, it hasn’t. It was very little as I was being uber-cautious. > [@](#): > > And now I want some pizza, dammit! No pepper spray on mine, thanks. Not even onions or hot sauce? No pizza 4 U! I have some ideas for further investigation and tests, but it occurs to me that what’s most important overall is the legal situation. What developments are there in the case in question? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/163 "2013-08-08T05:14:57Z")
[Here’s the latest news I’ve seen.](http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/08/calif-cop-to-be-arraigned-for-pepper-spraying-teens-pizza/) An interesting item: > [@](#): > > A managing director for the San Francisco division of the California Poison Control System told [ABCNews.com](http://ABCNews.com) that pepper spray used by law enforcement often has a higher concentration of capsaicin, an active ingredient in hot peppers. > > “Consuming capsaicin could cause irritation of the mouth and throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea,” Director Thomas Kearney said. “However, the reaction depends on how much pepper spray is consumed and the concentration of capsaicin. This reaction can vary from individual to individual.” Considering what discomfort I experienced, I fail to see why the formula “used by law enforcement officers” needs to be stronger than the consumer formula. My experience suggests that spraying someone directly in the eyes would be a severely traumatic and debilitating event and 100% incapacitating. I can’t understand why that needs to be enhanced. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/164 "2013-08-08T05:57:39Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Well, that was interesting. I certainly didn’t expect the pepper spray to be visible, but it does sort of blend in with the other ingredients. Some sprays intentionally add dyes to their product. The idea is that if you’re using the spray in a riot situation, you can later identify who was present by the dye. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/165 "2013-08-08T11:12:09Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Some sprays intentionally add dyes to their product. The idea is that if you’re using the spray in a riot situation, you can later identify who was present by the dye. And we don’t know that all dyes are the same color. My sample was red/orange-ish, not far from cheese and crust, but if it had been green or blue, it would have been pretty obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/166 "2013-08-08T12:48:15Z")
Excellent work Musicat. Now, for the second experiment, I have done some indepth research and have uncovered [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTIJCqpz4Bw) proving that waifish teenage girls can, in fact, consume large quantities of pizza, with a milkshake chaser. I also would guess that the dye would tell you if you really hit someone or not. I know from using wasp sprays that it can be hard to tell if you saturated your target from 15ft away. Granted, wasps don’t clutch their eyes and say “gaaaahhhh, my eyes!” but the concept holds. Note, I do not actually recommend watching the video, but if you must, mute it. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/167 "2013-08-08T13:03:32Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > And we don’t know that all dyes are the same color. My sample was red/orange-ish, not far from cheese and crust, but if it had been green or blue, it would have been pretty obvious. Side note…I think that blue packaging/markings are used to denote [CS gas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CS_gas) or chemical tear gas. Don’t try that on a pizza :eek: ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/168 "2013-08-08T13:22:44Z")
Great stuff, **Musicat**. That’s why I love this place. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/169 "2013-08-09T05:26:33Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I also would guess that the dye would tell you if you really hit someone or not. I know from using wasp sprays that it can be hard to tell if you saturated your target from 15ft away. Granted, wasps don’t clutch their eyes and say “gaaaahhhh, my eyes!” but the concept holds. I really, really wish that wasps WOULD clutch their eyes and wail when they get sprayed. It would be so satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/170 "2013-08-12T13:11:43Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I know you know – probably everyone here knows – but it is still worth pointing out that pepper spray and mace are very, very different substances. I know you know – probably everyone here knows – but it is still worth pointing out that sometimes brand names are used in a generic manner, just like people say coke for any soft drink or band-aid for any small bandage. > [@](#): > > Mace is the genericized trademark of Chemical Mace, the brand name of an early type of aerosol self defense spray invented by Allan Lee Litman in 1965. The first commercial product of its type, Litman’s design packaged CN tear gas dissolved in hydrocarbon solvents into a small aerosol spray can, usable in almost any environment and strong enough (when sprayed in the face) to act as a credible deterrent and incapacitant. Its popularity led to the brand name being shortened to simply “Mace” for all defense sprays (regardless of the composition). ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/171 "2013-08-12T13:37:28Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > It may be possible for the spray can to have been triggered very gently, so as to produce only a tiny trickle instead of a full jet. I think this was **Hentor the Barbarian** ’s point. This is another reason for hands-on experimentation. > > I know you know – probably everyone here knows – but it is still worth pointing out that pepper spray and mace are very, very different substances. > [@Clothahump](#): > > I know you know – probably everyone here knows – but it is still worth pointing out that sometimes brand names are used in a generic manner, just like people say coke for any soft drink or band-aid for any small bandage. Your very definition shows that “Mace” is not pepper spray. Mace is a brand name for a self-defense spray that uses phenacyl chloride gas (known as “CN gas” or “tear gas”). Pepper spray is oleoresin capsicum (known as “OC spray”). Your assertion—“brand names are used in a generic manner”—would make sense if you were using “mace” as a generic for some other kind of CN gas. Instead, it’s like you referred to a Vespa motor scooter as a “Jeep,” and then claimed that you were using “jeep” generically. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/172 "2013-08-12T18:58:49Z")
I hate to break up the lovely pedantry going on here, but let me show you: [Mace Brand Pepper Spray](http://www.mace.com/mace-pepper-spray-gel.html). The company (Mace) sells pepper spray to both the general public and police departments. They sell cans of pepper spray that have the word “Mace” in large lettering on 'em. What more do you want? ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/173 "2013-08-12T19:10:15Z")
Somehow I never realized that Mace was a brand name. Was it intended as a reference to the medieval melee weapon? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/174 "2013-08-12T19:22:59Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Your very definition shows that “Mace” is not pepper spray. > > Mace is a brand name for a self-defense spray that uses phenacyl chloride gas (known as “CN gas” or “tear gas”). Pepper spray is oleoresin capsicum (known as “OC spray”). > > Your assertion—“brand names are used in a generic manner”—would make sense if you were using “mace” as a generic for some other kind of CN gas. Instead, it’s like you referred to a Vespa motor scooter as a “Jeep,” and then claimed that you were using “jeep” generically. Question – which is more painful? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/175 "2013-08-12T20:03:21Z")
Meanwhile, back at the pepper spray experiment… It occurred to me that one thing that was missing in my test was the time which elapsed between the alleged pizza spraying and the sit-down feast. It might have been a few hours but my test only allowed a few seconds. Could that time lapse affect the detection of the pepper? I also feel a little more confident now as to how the pepper spray gadget works. It isn’t designed to be sprayed on something as close as an arm’s length away. It shoots out a forceful, narrow stream for 6 feet or more. The problem I had with inhaling it was when I was too close and the spray bounced back in the open (it might have been different if I was reaching into a partly-closed pizza box). So, to simulate a hot pizza on the way home from the oven, I heated up my last slice of pizza (pepperoni & onion with extra cheese) went down to an open spot on the beach, checked the wind (5mph away from me), set the pizza on a plate on the ground, and doused it thoroughly with spray from 6 feet away. I was able to avoid any splashback. After waiting about 30 seconds for the odor to dissipate, I placed the slice in a plastic ziplock bag, then put both in a second ziplock bag as an extra precaution. I had no ill effects from the very slight whiff of spray odor. I have the experiment in the fridge right now. I think I’ll wait overnight, then take it out and see if I can eat it. My thought is that if some time elapses, the effects might be quite less. Meanwhile, if anyone asks if they can raid my fridge, I’ll tell them sure, there’s some pizza you can have. Maybe someone else will do our experiment for us! I didn’t video this experiment extension, but I will keep y’all informed of the outcome. Science marches on! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/176 "2013-08-12T20:09:40Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Question – which is more painful? We’ll await the results of your experiment.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/177 "2013-08-12T20:17:09Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Question – which is more painful? Of the three common sprays, pepper spray is the weakest, then CN (which was also sold as mace before that term became generic), and then CS. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/178 "2013-08-12T22:24:17Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Meanwhile, back at the pepper spray experiment… > > It occurred to me that one thing that was missing in my test was the time which elapsed between the alleged pizza spraying and the sit-down feast. It might have been a few hours but my test only allowed a few seconds. Could that time lapse affect the detection of the pepper? Judging by me touching my sensitive bits or eyes hours after handling very hot peppers like habaneros or Thais, even after throughly scrubbing my fingers, I’m guessing not. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/179 "2013-08-13T00:26:09Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > Somehow I never realized that Mace was a brand name. Was it intended as a reference to the medieval melee weapon? I always assumed so. It’s got to be easier to sell something called “Chemical Mace[sup]TM[/sup]” than it is to sell something called “phenacyl chloride 1%”. A mace is a handheld weapon, so they thought the name fit. People forget that “mace” was never a chemical name to begin with, as it was just the trade mark of a very specific formulation. The company doesn’t even make that particular product anymore (although they still have some formulations that contain CN, it’s CN _and_ pepper spray.), so claiming something is or isn’t mace is a touch ridiculous. Anyway, some wannabe pedants forget that “mace” was never a chemical name to begin with. It became slang for all hand held CN nerve gas deterents, regardless if they were made by Mace. So now you have people claiming that CN based formulations made by companies that can’t legally call them “Mace” are mace, but capsacin formulations made by Mace, aren’t mace. They’re claiming that their slang is better than other slang, but doing so in a way that implies that they know some factoid. In truth, they are just as wrong as the people they are “correcting”. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241/180 "2013-08-13T01:08:55Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Judging by me touching my sensitive bits or eyes hours after handling very hot peppers like habaneros or Thais, even after throughly scrubbing my fingers, I’m guessing not. 🙂 All right, people, it’s time to revisit an old thread here: [Goddammit holy shit a jalapeño burned my dick - The BBQ Pit - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=563468) . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/policeman-pepper-sprays-pizza-at-traffic-stop/665241.md?page=10)