First Aid for Bear Spray?

[Shutterbug]

I have a lot of first aid training, but today I ran into a situation for which I have had not training. I came upon a hiker who had accidentally discharged his bear spray. He got some in his eyes and some on his skin.

He was near a stream, so I helped him wash out his eyes with cold water and wash off his legs, but I didn't know what else to do. Is there a recommended treatment for bear spray?

[MuddyWaters]

Besides rinsing with something like milk that has fat to solubilize the capsaicin, not sure what else you can do. Water isnt real effective because capsaicins an oil. Mineral oil might be good. Generally capsaicin causes no permanent damage.

I eat very hot things, and have gotten a bit in my eyes before. Burns, cant open eyes, tearing, etc. Usually lasts 30 min max. Direct pepper sprays probably worse.

[lilgodwin]

I'm guessing that bear spray is just a type of pepper spray, or OC (oleoresin capsaicin), then I may be able to help a little. By help, I mean to pretty much tell you that you did a good job and just about all you could do in that scenario (ie. Hiking).

If it happens, the best you can hope for is to have some sort of disposable towels, soft paper towels are preferred, along with some running water. A bucket of water (non running water) is less helpful because you start rinsing off with the same stuff you want off your face... basically, backwash. Rinse with the running water and get the eyes blinking as much as you can. With the paper towels, you want to dab, not rub, throw it aside and use another. Just like the bucket of water, reusing the same towel becomes less and less helpful.

Once you feel comfortable that the oleoresin capsaicin is off, quit with the water and towels, and air dry. Continue to blink. Only time will help at this point.

It's worth mentioning that people can be affected quite differently by the stuff, despite the intensity of the capsaicin. Some people clear up in a minute or two, some 30+ minutes.

Oh yeah, it's helpful to keep the individual calm and breathing normally... No matter how difficult it may be to do so.

[Odd Man Out]

In our chemistry labs, the treatment for chemical spills in eyes is just continued flushing with lots of water (what you did). Use of other solvents in the eyes can cause more problems. On skin you could use soap.

[rocketsocks]

Ive never bought or used bear spray, but I'd think it would come with a MSDS sheet or link to website which would have the treatment plan. Good job shutterbug. I agree with lilgodwin about keeping them calm, crazy, but I could see someone going into shock just from getting theirselves all worked up.

[SkeeterPee]

Bear spray is lower strength than human pepper spray. There are warning telling you not to try to used it against human attacks. The idea is to let you get away from the bear and not to cause the bear a long recovery time.

[Engine]

Bear spray is lower strength than human pepper spray. There are warning telling you not to try to used it against human attacks. The idea is to let you get away from the bear and not to cause the bear a long recovery time.

I had always thought bear spray was more concentrated, so after reading that I had to check...sure enough it's only 10-20% as concentrated as self defense pepper spray. Interesting.

[AfterParty]

We got pepper sprayed in the army and it hurts! Water doesn't really help it just hurts!

[Greenlight]

AfterParty: Are they really pepper spraying recruits at basic training now? I know we went to the "gas chamber" and got hit with mild amounts of tear gas, otherwise known as CS, which is a cyanocarbon. Maybe that is what you meant. They both irritate mucous membrane, but I'm not sure which is more persistent. Like CS, pepper spray can re-activate if you try to wash it off with hot water. I can still remember that ice cold shower the evening after going to the chamber. There are always a couple of knuckleheads who try hot water anyway just because they think a cold shower will be more uncomfortable. Joke is on them. Police regularly use capsaicin sprays as part of their non-lethal tactics and many jurisdictions won't allow officers to use the product on others until they've had it used on them. Same is true with stun-guns and TASERs. It adds a little humanity back into an undignified and messy process. My only advice to the guys is to not touch your little man if you've got pepper spray or CS on your hands. You know why.

[AfterParty]

I did it prior to my second deployment not it was foam spray to the eyes and then run a gauntlet before you could wash it off. So probably my most unenjoyable range day ever, my eyes burned for close to 24 hours.

[Greenlight]

That's why they don't want us wearing contact lenses in the sandbox!

[JumpMaster Blaster]

I've been told by an animal control officer that baby shampoo works well to help rinse it off. Maybe biodegredable soap (if you had some with you) or Dr. Bronners may have helped?

[lilgodwin]

I've been told by an animal control officer that baby shampoo works well to help rinse it off. Maybe biodegredable soap (if you had some with you) or Dr. Bronners may have helped?

Yeah, the most basic Johnson&Johnson baby shampoo is preferred if you're going to use something in addition to the water. But that, and the previously mentioned milk, won't be anywhere near someone who's carrying bear spray to begin with (ie. Hikers).

The most difficult things to do are staying calm and blinking, not necessarily in that order. As hard as it is to do, blink as much as you can and start focusing on getting the eyes open. Keeping them closed, the natural reaction, works against you in the healing process. I mentioned paper towels earlier, but the obvious substitute that most might have at their disposal is toilet paper, figured I'd throw that out there. Dab, toss, repeat.

[Hangfire]

Beer?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-fb4ug73Lo

[CarlZ993]

Fresh running water & time. Pepper spray in the eyes suck. Many LE agencies require their cadets and/or officers to be sprayed w/ pepper spray & continue to 'fight' a bad guy. They then have their eyes flushed w/ running water.

[lilgodwin]

I've never heard of an agency NOT requiring it. Interesting to think that there might be any.

[Lyle]

Something like this is what we carried on our Ambulance. Mostly to treat the police officers who got accidentally sprayed, or any of the criminals who needed medical treatment.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LNPFMBI...WQXWKN6AMQWX52

[Odd Man Out]

Ive never bought or used bear spray, but I'd think it would come with a MSDS sheet or link to website which would have the treatment plan. Good job shutterbug. I agree with lilgodwin about keeping them calm, crazy, but I could see someone going into shock just from getting theirselves all worked up.

As I work for a university chemistry department we purchase many chemicals and all must be sold with an MSDS safety sheet. We once bot a bottle of ultra pure water for a special application. As water is a chemical it was sold with an MSDS sheet as tequired. It said that if you spilled it in your eyes you were to flush with water.

[Bronk]

This website recommends flushing the eyes with a solution of 25% dawn dish soap and 75% water. When trying to flush anything out of your eyes its important to pour water from between the two eyes...from the inside out. This way the contaminant is washed away instead of washing from one eye into the other.

http://www.pepper-spray-store.com/pages/antitdote

[Shutterbug]

I appreciate all of the suggestions, but I think they confirm that I did as well as I could under the circumstances. We were 3 miles from the closest trailhead and 30 miles from the closest drug store. I don't carry dawn soap or anything like that in my first aid kit. I guess flushing the eyes with water was about as good as I could have done.