PEPPER SPRAY PAIN RELIEF

I was a volunteer subject in these randomized, double-blind trials to find a treatment for pepper spray discomfort. The only thing found to be better than water was a 1:1 solution of water and liquid antacid — aluminum hydroxide or magnesium hydroxide-based, such as Maalox or Mylanta. Use plain or mint. (a physician and street medic friend asked me to stress that mint is best, but the study didn't find that mattered)

“The Black Cross Healthcare Collective was a group of healthcare workers who lived in Portland, Oregon. They formed after the WTO protests of 1999, after seeing a need for medical care that specifically served people who were attending direct actions, demonstrations and political protests.”

"In the early 2000s they pioneered community-supported trials to find an antidote to pepper spray. These trials resulted in an antidote that has been used in street protests internationally.”