Determination of major HEAVY metal levels in pepper gases used as chemical agents in the field of CBRN

CBRN; consists of the initials of the words chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear and expresses the possible dangerous situations that these substances can create. These substances, the use of which has increased with the developing technology, pose a risk for societies. Chemical substances under this heading are examined in 6 classes. Pepper sprays used in the study are in the group of riot control agents. Pepper spray is obtained from Capsaicin, which is obtained from Albanian and Chilean peppers and makes the pepper hot. The use of pepper spray in various forms in terms of human rights is still a matter of debate today. In this study, it was aimed to determine the main heavy metal levels of pepper sprays, which are obtained from pepper grown in the soil and which we think may contain heavy metals. In the research, 4 pepper sprays purchased from different brands were examined. Purchased pepper sprays were subjected to sample preparation stage with Milestone Stard-D microwave burning device. Then, heavy metal analyzes of the prepared pepper gas samples were carried out with the ICP OES device. In the study, a total of 7 heavy metals, including iron, chromium, cobalt, copper, cadmium, copper, and nickel, were investigated. According to this; As a result of the measurements, Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni), Cadmium (Cd), Cobalt (Co) elements were not found in any of the samples. Lead (Pb) content was 0.653±0.064 mg/kg, Iron (Fe) content was 5.246±0.000 mg/kg. Finally, the element Copper (Cu) detected in a single sample was measured as 0.815 mg/kg. Since there are no legal restrictions on the purchase and use of pepper spray in Turkey, anyone who wishes can easily access these products. The small number of clinical and laboratory studies carried out causes the potential risks of pepper sprays to go unnoticed. We recommend age restrictions, training or certification requirements in the purchase of pepper sprays, and in some cases being accepted as a chemical warfare agent as the main precautions to be taken. In addition, we think that necessary sensitivity should be shown in laboratory and clinical studies for the examination of the content of pepper spray and the optimum ratio of its active ingredients. In addition to all these steps, we foresee that the preparation of introductory brochures, informative public service advertisements and informing the public about the health problems that may arise, on topics such as what pepper spray is, how to use pepper spray, and in which situations should pepper spray be used, will increase the conscious use of pepper spray.