§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has commissioned on the(a) benefits and (b) disadvantages of replacing CS spray with sprays based on CR. [31268]
§ Mr. MichaelSeveral possible incapacitant agents, including CR, were considered before CS sprays were adopted for police use. CR was rejected because not enough is known about its chronic health effects and its carcinogenic and genotoxic potential. It also poses particular problems in relation to decontamination because it retains its irritant characteristics in water. The simple decontamination procedures employed for CS involving the use of copious volumes of water would exacerbate the extent of contamination when used against CR.