ABSTRACT
Many materials have been developed for use as nonlethal aerosols in personal defense, criminal incapacitation and crowd control. Exposure to these materials causes temporary irritation to the eyes, to the nose and throat, and to the skin. Excessive tearing and blinking, coughing and shortness of breath sometimes accompanied by retching and vomiting, and stinging and burning sensations on the skin bring about temporary disability. Some general characteristics of these materials are rapid onset of effects, brief duration of effects upon removal from the scene of exposure, and a wide safety range between exposure dose for incapacitation and exposure dose for toxicity. The toxicology of riot control agents (RCAs) has been the subject of numerous scientific studies and the focus of various review articles and book chapters (Ballantyne, 1977; Hu, 1992; Sidell, 1997; Olajos and Salem, 2001; Salem et al., 2001).
