Monitoring trends in lacrimator exposures using the National Poison Data System: 2000–2021

Abstract

Context

Lacrimators are used by individuals for personal defense and by police for crowd control during periods of civil unrest. Increased public awareness about their use has raised concerns about their application and safety.

Objective

To characterize patterns of lacrimator exposures in the United States, we describe temporal trends of calls to poison centers by demographics, substances, medical outcomes, exposure sites, and scenarios.

Methods

A retrospective data analysis was performed for all single-substance lacrimator exposures in the United States reported to the National Poison Data System between 2000 and 2021. Descriptive analyses were performed to examine demographic characteristics, geographic distribution, product types and medical outcomes associated with lacrimator exposures.

Results

A total of 107,149 lacrimator exposure calls were identified. There was an overall decrease in calls per year, from 6,521 calls in 2000 to 2,520 in 2020, followed by an increase to 3,311 calls in 2021. A declining trend was observed independent of total poison center call volume. Oleoresin capsicum was the most commonly reported substance (81,990, 76.5%). Individuals ages 19 years and younger accounted for 62% of calls, but adults ages 20 and over were more likely to develop major clinical effects (odds ratio 3.03; 95% confidence interval 1.91–4.81; P < 0.0001). The most common exposure site was “own residence,” followed by schools. School exposures accounted for 15.8% of exposures in children ages 6–12 years and 37.7% in adolescents. Among calls with documented scenarios, 19.7% involved unintentional exposures due to children accessing lacrimators.

Conclusion

Lacrimator exposure calls to United States poison centers decreased from 2000 to 2021. Most calls pertain to oleoresin capsicum and individuals ages 19 and younger. Improper storage allowing children to have access to these chemicals, is a common scenario. Public safety interventions such as education about safe storage and use of lacrimators, improved product design, or regulatory changes may prevent unintentional exposures.

Keywords:

• Lacrimators
• oleoresin capsicum
• chlorobenzylidene malononitrile
• chloroacetophenone
• tear gas

Disclosure statement

America’s Poison Centers maintains the National Poison Data System, which houses de-identified records of self-reported information from callers to the country’s Poison Centers. National Poison Data System data do not reflect the entire universe of US exposures and incidences related to any substances. Exposures do not necessarily represent a poisoning or overdose, and America’s Poison Centers are not able to completely verify the accuracy of every report. National Poison Data System data do not necessarily reflect the opinions of America’s Poison Centers. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Additional information

Funding

The authors reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.