September 2019 SPRAY 43
The U.S. National Park Service recommends carrying bear spray when hiking in bear country.
rate valves are used to emit streaming sprays that can travel up to about 30 feet at a charging bear.
Considering how fast irate bears can run, and that about 0.4 second is needed to develop the massive
irritation effect, it can be determined that some bears may momentarily contact the terrified person
before becoming painfully distracted.
Firms contemplating the marketing of pepper sprays should be aware of any national, state or local
regulations impacting these aerosols. If the label mentions human targets, the product would be administered
by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Otherwise, the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission (CPSC) may be in control. Experts at major contract fillers of these products—such
as Mace Brand or Guardian Protective Devices—can be contacted.
2-Chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile (CS)
This highly irritating synthetic chemical is used to some extent in U.S. counter-assault aerosols, but
is far more popular in the UK, Australia and several other countries. Product and packaging requirements
have been developed by several nations. Those enacted by the UK Home Office Police Scientific
Development Branch in coordination with the European Aerosol Federation (FEA) are among the
best. The parameters are summarized as follows:
• Purity of the CS compound: 99% minimum
• CS shall be the only irritant in the aerosol formula
• CS content shall not exceed 5.0 grams per container
• The device must not contain more than 92mL of solution
• The device must be able to discharge the product consistently for at least six seconds
• The spray pattern must be mainly within a 150mm circle at 2.0 meters.
• The delivery rate shall be between 3.5 and 5.0 grams per second
Other requirements include flammability limits (FEA method), drop tests, hot water bath test and
the need to select solvents (such as methyl isobutyl ketone, MIBK) and propellants (such as HFC-
134a) from approved lists. Also, the container shape must fit comfortably in the hands of police
personnel.
The CS products for non-police use are free to have alternative specifications, but they generally
use the above criteria. CS products have advantages over the pepper sprays in terms of uniformity,
total lack of coloration and the absence of extraneous (natural) ingredients. On the other hand,
natural products appear to have a special appeal and safety aspect for many prospective customers.
Although often stocked in outdoorsman shops and flea market stalls, pepper sprays can sometimes
be hard to find. Consequently, merchants are now advertising these aerosols on the Internet
and in sporting magazines, often replete with details concerning the spray characteristics, SHU
number and other statistics. Spray