Tasers May Ignite Tear Gassed Protesters
From: action-medical@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: info about tasers
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2002
The electrical pulse is well within international standards of what a human (even the very young and very old) can tolerate without tissue damage, nerve damage, etc. (About 1/1000th of a potentially dangerous level) The manufacturer claims that in regard to the shock itself, the weapon is 100% non-lethal, even for those wearing pacemakers. They claim there has never been a death attributed directly to a Taser. I have requested the company's confidential medical reports, but I don't have too difficult a time believing this.
It is also highly effective. A person will typically be paralyzed within a half-second of contact. The current lasts at least 5 seconds in the Portland Police model, though other models vary widely.The electrical impulses apparently act as "noise" in the nervous system, confusing all the body's other electrical impulses, causing the person to become instantly, though temporarily, paralyzed. Once the current is removed, a person will typically take between 1-30 minutes to fully recover.
There is significant controversy over whether or not the electricity itself can cause death. The manufacturer calls them "less-lethal" since anything is possible, but claims no death has ever been caused by the electricity. Some "experts" disagree. It is true that for the vast majority of people, this level of electrical current would not cause any permanent damage, and is well within established safety guidelines for electric animal fences, for example, which are considered non-lethal to humans.
One very high risk that I think is important to know about came from England:
"But government researchers have discovered that, if the suspect has been in contact with CS gas - a chemical irritant used to incapacitate - there is a 'serious risk' the person will catch fire when a taser is used. The flaw is particularly significant, police sources have told The Observer, because officers would normally be required to use CS gas to resolve a situation before employing a more extreme device such as a taser."
"A Home Office investigation into the safety of 'less-lethal' weapons fired the taser at mannequins covered in CS gas. In two of seven tests, they caught fire. 'In both cases, the flames produced were severe and engulfed the entire top half of the mannequin,' says its report, 'Less Lethal Technologies - Initial Prioritisation and Evaluation'."
"Deborah Coles, co-director of police pressure group Inquest, said: 'We are horrified they are even thinking about this. Experience has shown when they introduce a new weapon, it is only a matter of time until it seriously injures or kills someone.' "
"The report concludes that there is a 'serious risk of ignition if the taser is fired at a target that has flammable solvent on their clothing. This risk will extend to all flammable environments, for instance a petrol station.' "
"The Association of Chief Police Officers, expressing grave concern over the report, is to recommend banning the use of tasers with CS gas. "
And finally, the description I wrote in the last email about how the taser works, by overloading the nervous system with static, is true for older stun guns, but not true for the new tasers acquired by the ppb. These new tasers are called "EMD weapons"
EMD weapons use a more powerful 18 to 26 Watt electrical signal to completely override the central nervous system and directly control the skeletal muscles. This EMD effect causes an uncontrollable contraction of the muscle tissue, allowing the M-Series to physically debilitate a target regardless of pain tolerance or mental focus. The ADVANCED TASER M-Series are EMD weapons -- specifically designed to stop even the most elite, aggressive, focused combatants. Rather than simply interfering with communication between the brain and muscles, the ADVANCED TASER EMD systems directly tell the muscles what to do: contract until the target is in the fetal position on the ground.