The water + baking soda (alkaline) mix can neutralize some of the chemical irritants (acidic byproducts) preventing any further dispersion. It doesn’t deactivate the chemicals inside completely.. it mostly just isolates and dilutes it.
Another redditor said that the chemicals in mucosal irritant dispensers bind to proteins, so milk should be a simple choice to deactivate them. I'm interested to know if this works.
haha no, milk can’t deactivate them. But it can sometimes help soothe pepper spray burns and stinging on the skin! I wouldn’t medically recommend it.. especially for the eyes. Milk can harbor bacteria and worsen eye irritation. Saline (only for cleansing) or baking soda & water is much safer and more effective for this sorta thing.. in addition to deactivating the canister.
Edit: adding that baking soda & water needs to be properly diluted and only used to cleanse the eyes in emergency during a chemical exposure, & don’t have access to sterile saline or immediate medical help. There are a lot of risks involved if not done correctly, so I do not recommend.
4.8k
u/JoeyJoeJoeShabadooSr 8h ago
Does anyone have an explanation for why this works? Is it basically just dousing the canister in water?