Can Pepper Spray And A Taser Actually Combine Into A Fireball? | MythBusters

[00:00:00]First up, a shocking tale of crime scene chaos.

[00:00:06]>> So, what have we got?

[00:00:07]>> Well, you remember a few months ago that you and I did a cameo on CSI?

[00:00:11]>> I do. We played scientists in lab coats.

[00:00:14]It >> was about a per who had spontaneously combusted after being hit with a stun gun. And it turned out upon investigation that prior to being hit with a stun gun, he was pepper- sprrayed. [music] and that the pepper spray had a flammable component in it, which when coupled with the spark of the stun gun caused him to burst into a huge fireball. And guess what happened after [music] that episode aired?

[00:00:35]>> We got a ton of requests to do it ourselves and test it for real.

[00:00:39]>> Exactly right. It would appear that not only did we make a cameo on CSI, but CSI is making a cameo on Mythbusters.

[00:00:48]The science unfolds in the CSI lab as Nick Stokes shows that stun gun plus pepper spray equals an instant massive fireball. It's a nice bit of TV, but we all want to know if it works in real life.

[00:01:05]>> Well, if I'm going to potentially set something on fire, I think right here under Jaime's exhaust hood is as good a place as any to do it safely. The boys have made a bold decision to simply set up the scene and go for it. Standing in for the victim is one dead pig. We use pigs a lot on this show because they're great human analoges. But we're not [music] wasting them because they're too darn tasty. In fact, after we're done with them here, I'm taking them home and cooking them up. You ready?

[00:01:34]>> I am. Let's uh hook it up.

[00:01:35]>> Okay.

[00:01:39]With the pig analog securely fastened, [music] Adam fits a small flannel shirt they've been saving for just the right occasion.

[00:01:47]There we go.

[00:01:50]Now Jamie unloads a whole can of police issue [music] pepper spray.

[00:01:54]>> All right, time to take him down with the stun gun >> and hopefully replicate that CSI fireball.

[00:02:02]>> I am aimed in three.

[00:02:07]Yeah, I got to say I don't think we're going to get fire in this one.

[00:02:10]>> Okay, >> two. One.

[00:02:20]>> What do you know? I was right.

[00:02:22]>> Yep. No fire.

[00:02:23]>> That's disappointing.

[00:02:25]>> That's putting it mildly. It's a complete dud. Even Adam surprised by the [music] totality of the failure.

[00:02:31]>> I don't know what to say. We did everything right. No flaming pig.

[00:02:34]>> Yeah. Well, there are a number of different things going on here, and I think we need to break them out separately to see what's happening before we call it.

[00:02:41]>> Yeah.

[00:02:42]>> Okay, let's do that.

[00:02:44]>> And here's the breakdown. Successful combustion needs three things. The first is oxygen, and there's plenty of that.

[00:02:51]Second is [music] something combustible, supposedly the pepper soaked shirt.

[00:02:56]Third is a reliable source of ignition.

[00:02:59]So, let's reboot this myth by re-examining the stun gun. The operation of these stun guns is relatively simple and it happens in two phases. Allow me to illustrate. The first phase when you pull the trigger, the gun fires a pair of shiny little barbs across the room that embed themselves right into your skin. And the second part, it starts pumping voltage through these wires into those barbs and into your body. And when that voltage gets to your body, it starts interrupting your brain's ability to tell your muscles what to do. And you pretty much collapse in a heap on the ground. But the question remains, >> all right, >> can even 50,000 volts produce enough spark to start a human bonfire. [music] >> There you go.

[00:03:38]>> Plenty of sparks. I have to say, I'm kind of surprised. I was actually expecting that once those barbs embedded themselves in the pig flesh, they'd complete a circuit and we wouldn't see any sparks. But we do.

[00:03:50]Look at that.

[00:03:51]>> I was also surprised that the barbs were creating sparks while they were fully embedded in the pig. But it's easy to understand why. The company has decided it's most efficient to simply tie a knot in the end of the wire so it locks into the hole like so. And they know that given the fact that they're using such high voltage in these things that the spark will jump across into the needle and do its job. But that jumping spark also serves as a potential source of ignition.

[00:04:20]>> But will it be big enough to ignite the myth? You know, we've dabbled with small sparks before. Oh, how hard can it be to blow up a room full of gasoline?

[00:04:31]>> And often enough, we're left disappointed. [music] >> Nothing. What a shocker.

[00:04:36]>> So, ideally, they'd like a much bigger spark. And they've worked out a way that perfectly fits the myth.

[00:04:43]>> All right, let me describe the experimental setup here. This ham hock is our per. This barb is the barb that's in his skin. This vinyl shower curtain is our per's clothing. And this barb is the barb that didn't make it all the way to the per skin cuz it got caught up in his clothing. Let's see what happens.

[00:05:01][music] >> It's an intriguing twist on the basic test, but will it work?

[00:05:07]>> That's what I'm talking about. Nice big 3 cm spark through the clothes into the [music] guy's flash. Bingo.

[00:05:14]>> That's a big tick for reliable ignition.

[00:05:17]Next up, they'll [music] be pushing the button on pepper spray.

[00:05:24]Out at the Treasure Island Fire Test Facility, Adam and Jamie plan to ignite some pepper spray.

[00:05:33]>> I love it out here.

[00:05:35]>> They've already shown that the spark from a stun gun could have some kick to it. Now, to advance the investigation, >> is pepper spray flammable? And if it is, which one is the most flammable? Here's our methodology for finding out. We're going to take each of our samples and spray it from this location over this open flame. Both from 6 in away like this and from 18 in away. By the end, we should conclude which one is our most highly flammable candidate.

[00:06:04]>> Different sprays have different recipes.

[00:06:06]So, we'll [music] test five different types, some of which aren't used by the California cops. These pepper sprays are non-lethal, but they are really pretty nasty. In fact, when we were testing with them earlier, I managed to get some on my hands and my skin was irritated for days. The crew that was taping this was coughing and sneezing. It was really kind of unpleasant. So, this time around, we've got a hold of some level three chems that we're going to be wearing. So, we can focus on the testing and not about how bad we feel.

[00:06:36]>> Adam's already dressed for success. So, Jamie uh follows suit. It's not everybody gets to come to work in their jammies.

[00:06:45]So, a persistent rumor is confirmed by the great man [music] himself. Jaime does go to bed wearing hazmat pajamas.

[00:06:53]Welcome, Earthlings. We mean you no harm. Our first five samples tested from 6 in away. The first one's supposed to be nonflammable. Let's see if it's true.

[00:07:06]>> Just for the record, that 6-in gap is exactly the industry [music] standard for testing flammability. All right, you ready for number one?

[00:07:14]>> Yep.

[00:07:15]>> All right, here we go.

[00:07:17]>> The first canister fully lived up to its no burn promise. So, let's check the second.

[00:07:26]Bupus.

[00:07:26]>> That's two quick strikes, but the third shows some promise.

[00:07:32]Oh, not bad.

[00:07:35]As for number four, just lay back and bask in the ambient heat of the can that can.

[00:07:44]>> That's the money right there. Want to see it again?

[00:07:47]>> I think we all do.

[00:07:50][laughter] >> The key thing that made this a fireball was the kind of propellant it used. So, on to can five.

[00:08:01]>> Oh, FIVE IS A CONTENDER.

[00:08:08]AS IT TURNS OUT, AT 6 IN, two out of our five samples were aggressively flammable. So, it seems that it's pretty much hit or miss whether you get a flammable propellant in one of these pepper sprays. In other words, it's entirely possible. Now, to retest from three times the distance, and we'll do it with just the last two [music] sprays.

[00:08:28]>> Number four, from 18 in.

[00:08:32]OH, IT'S EVEN BETTER.

[00:08:34]>> YEAH, that's good stuff.

[00:08:36]>> The CSI Fireball was a solid six-footer.

[00:08:40]So, let's see if can number five gets close.

[00:08:43]>> Backed by popular demand in three, two.

[00:08:48]Oh, yeah. That's a tough call between four and five.

[00:08:51]>> So, they found the two most volatile cans, but there's no guarantee that either one will ignite when it's sprayed on a fabric. [music] To test that, we will be staging the world's first wet flannel shirt contest.

[00:09:08]>> Well, so far so good.

[00:09:09]>> Yep. Stun guns do provide a very reasonable spark for ignition, and some pepper sprays are quite flammable.

[00:09:15]>> So, now all we got to do is put the two together and see if we get some kind of [music] spontaneous combustion.

[00:09:21]>> Slow down there, Cowboy. I think there's one more thing we could take a look at in here, which is what kind of material was the shirt made of that the perp was wearing. There's a lot of different things they make clothing out of, and some are more flammable than others. I think we need to do some tests and find out which kind of material we can find that burns the fastest.

[00:09:40]>> Okay.

[00:09:41]>> Armed with a lighter and a charming selection of swatches, the method is pretty straightforward. fabric placed on a 45°ree angle, exposed to a lighter at the bottom for 1 second, and timed how long it takes for [music] the flame to reach the top. We compare all these and figure out which one's [music] the most flammable.

[00:09:59]>> I like it. The guy on CSI that gets set on fire was wearing a flannel shirt.

[00:10:04]Now, what is flannel? Well, in the early days, it was a wool material. Then it was a wool blend. Now, it can be virtually any kind of material that is thick and sort of fluffy and has this plaid pattern. So, from natural fibers, here comes cotton to acrylics and acetates. The guys put the torch to some hopefully flammable fabrics.

[00:10:24]>> All right, let's try a rayon.

[00:10:28]>> Some take their own sweet time.

[00:10:31]>> 45 seconds.

[00:10:32]>> And that's it.

[00:10:34]>> Some just refuse to catch fire.

[00:10:37][laughter] >> No burning at all from wool.

[00:10:41]>> And others burn up like a trail of gunpowder, >> dude.

[00:10:46]Fleece burns with vigor. Bang. I'd say that's right there. 15 seconds. Now all that remains is to find out the fastest.

[00:10:55]The results are in. We have burned eight kinds of fabric, gotten eight different burn times, and the winner, it turns out, is a tie at 15 seconds. The fastest burning fabrics are both acrylic and fleece. Robert, tell them what they've won.

[00:11:11]>> Thanks, Adam. Yes, today's two fabrics both win the chance to return to the game as real shirts, then get burned right down to their buttons in a winner takes all torch time trial. Back to you, Adam. In order to do that, I'm going to call upon all the skills I remember from home economics in fourth and fifth grade with Miss Cabanas. I still remember a couple things. Adam's [music] not showing off.

[00:11:35]We just couldn't buy a plaid fleece shirt. So, this is a Homespun Savage original. But he will need some torsos to hang his designs on.

[00:11:44]>> That's where this guy comes in because I'm going to make a wire mannequin that looks roughly like this so we have something to hang them on while they burn.

[00:11:52]>> In just a few minutes, they both finish flirting with fashion, and they both seem enamored with their efforts.

[00:12:01]>> Show Jamie the threads. Check it out.

[00:12:06]>> Uh, who's your tailor, dude?

[00:12:08]>> I am my tailor. Hey, these are a one-time use. [laughter] >> These guys look great.

[00:12:15]>> Uh, meet Bernie and his little brother, Crisen.

[00:12:18]>> So, Bernie and Crisen get shirted up.

[00:12:21][music] One with a plaid that's all acrylic and the other made from so-called fleece, [music] another synthetic that's partly made from recycled plastic.

[00:12:31]At this [music] point, you may be wondering if I'm upset about having worked so hard on this only to set it on fire. And the answer is no, cuz I'm doing it for science and I'm setting something on fire.

[00:12:44]>> To comprehensively [music] test the myth, the boys are eager to learn just how combustible a shirt can [music] be.

[00:12:50]Both shirts are lit from the same point at the same time.

[00:12:55]>> Right now, the acrylic really seems to be winning [music] by a fair bit. It's much more aggressive.

[00:13:01]>> Indeed. It's also clear that both of these are burning relatively slowly. I mean, it's not a whoosh.

[00:13:07]>> No, I would hope it would not be a whoosh. I I hope I don't have any clothes at home that would go whoosh.

[00:13:14]>> With no pepper [music] spray, both shirts burn slowly but consistently.

[00:13:19]Adam, of course, has a vested interest.

[00:13:21][music] >> Come on, Fleece. After all our training, after all our discussion, is that all you got? You going to let acrylic take you to town? You're going to let him show you up? PUT SOMETHING INTO IT, MAN.

[00:13:31]>> But he's backed the wrong blouse.

[00:13:33]Eventually, the acrylic is the first one to give up the ghost.

[00:13:37]>> I'm going to call it.

[00:13:40]8 minutes 25 seconds. The acrylic is completely burnt up to a crisp. And the fleece still has more than halfway to go.

[00:13:50]>> Yep.

[00:13:51]>> So, acrylic it is. And here's [music] the upshot. Shirts do burn. Stun guns can make a big spark. And some pepper sprays are totally flammable. Now all that remains is to pull these bestase combustibles together to see if they can really make that instantaneous human fireball.

[00:14:14]After days of experimentation, Adam and Jamie are finally ready to test the myth of the CSI stun gun.

[00:14:23]This fine specimen of manhood here will soon be our per for our final test. Now, in order to be a proper per, I need him to have conductive skin. So, I'm going to give him a layer of foam. And then I'm going to cover that foam with foil.

[00:14:36]And that foil will act as the conductive [music] skin that hopefully will give us the spark to light our purple on fire.

[00:14:43][music] He's ready.

[00:14:46]>> And in hope of a blazing conclusion, it's back to Treasure Island.

[00:14:50]>> The methodology here is actually pretty simple. Our per here is dressed in the latest fashion, the acrylic shirt that we found the most flammable. We are going to spray him down with the pepper spray we found most flammable, number four. And then I'm going to stand back with this stun gun and pop him right in the chest and see if he bursts into flame.

[00:15:10]>> All right, stand clear.

[00:15:12]>> So, confirming the myth of an instant massive fireball all comes down to this.

[00:15:18]Just like they did on CSI, Adam unloads for a good few seconds.

[00:15:23]>> Freeze.

[00:15:27]>> Hey, dude.

[00:15:29]>> It's burning.

[00:15:33]>> I totally Wow, it's totally burning.

[00:15:38]>> And we totally need the fire extinguisher.

[00:15:44]>> You have the right to not be on fire.

[00:15:46]Anything you burn can and will be held against you in a court of law.

[00:15:50]>> But do we have the right to call this confirmed?

[00:15:53]>> Of course, it wasn't quite the big fireball that we saw in CSI.

[00:15:59]But this being Mythbusters, we're going to do our darnest to get one.

[00:16:04]>> So, they postpone the judgment, discharging four whole cans on a backup acrylic shirt.

[00:16:10]>> Think that's enough?

[00:16:12]>> No. H.

[00:16:14]>> Just for good measure, Jamie almost doubles the dose.

[00:16:20]>> All right.

[00:16:22]Freeze.

[00:16:26]>> NICE.

[00:16:29]YEAH.

[00:16:30]>> Now that's really close to the human bonfire we saw on TV.

[00:16:35]>> There's your fireball.

[00:16:38]>> It's instantaneous. Look at that.

[00:16:41]Yeah, you might as well lit it with a match.

[00:16:44]>> Unbelievable.

[00:16:46]>> It's a fabulous fireball. But in this case, [music] they did use an ocean of pepper spray.

[00:16:54]>> So, how do we want to call this one?

[00:16:56]>> Well, let's do a little math. One acrylic shirt plus a can of flammable pepper spray plus one stun gun equals >> plausible.

[00:17:05]>> I agree. Uh, one acrylic shirt plus a stun gun plus a whole crackload of pepper spray equals >> gratuitous.

[00:17:12]>> That's our favorite four syllable word.

[00:17:15]So, the verdict on this myth is plausible. But we're not done yet.

[00:17:19]Jaime's determined to end with a serious spectacle. [music] And believe me, you don't want to miss this.

[00:17:32][music] With the myth of the CSI stun gun wrapped up, the boys feel the need to go out in a totally gratuitous blaze of glory. Jamie left me this really cryptic message which said, "Only bring him a burnable per and dress for a fire.

[00:17:52]>> [laughter] >> I am, as they say, intrigued.

[00:17:57]Here we go.

[00:17:58]>> Adam [music] dresses his man in a fitting fashion. And the shirt, as you've guessed, is the famous flannel.

[00:18:05]Uh, are you ready, little buddy?

[00:18:10]This is actually the standard model of robot that are all of Grant's servants back at his castle.

[00:18:27]So, the savage awaits the barbarian.

[00:18:31]And Jaime's weapon of choice is a vintage Vietnam era gasoline flamethrower.

[00:18:37]>> Oh, hey, what do you got?

[00:18:39]>> Stand clear. I'm going hot.

[00:18:40]>> Okay.

[00:18:47]Longtime viewers know that sometimes when a myth falls frustratingly short of confirmation.

[00:18:53]>> You see any bullet holes?

[00:18:54]>> I didn't see any at all. No.

[00:18:56]>> We like to uh >> firing.

[00:18:59]>> Turn it up a notch or 10.

[00:19:04]>> Once again, Jamie's ready to skip the method and go straight for the mayhem.

[00:19:10]3 2 1 There's no better way to unleash hell than a 60 ft flame.

[00:19:26][laughter] Nice.

[00:19:33][music] [music] That's what I'm talking about.

[00:19:45]Very post-apocalyptic of you.

[00:19:47]>> Is that hot enough for you?

[00:19:49]>> Well, that was only ever going to end one way. And thanks to a $5 shirt, we've got a million dollar memory.