The Effects of Tasers on Health
- Health professionals study the effects of a taser on human health.Heart beat chart image by Sophia Winters from Fotolia.com
Many law enforcement agencies use tasers to incapacitate suspects or criminals during arrest. Because of this, the effects of tasers on health have been studied in-depth recently. Tests studying the acidosis in individuals who have been tased, the heart activity of individuals who have been tased and the real-life injuries of individuals who have been tased are only a few of the tests that have been performed. - Reports of deaths related to tasers are rare, but they do occur. In the case of one 16-year-old's death in 2009, the coroner confirmed that the shock he received from a taser directly caused his death. The boy did have a condition that made his heart beat irregularly, so this may have been a contributing factor. Although the reports are rare, fatality is a possible side effect.
- Some experts are fearful that severe consequences, possibly even death, can occur due to rapidly increasing body acidity due to taser shocks. This leads to cardiac arrest, which can injure or kill an individual. Many independent studies have found acidosis to be a small concern, but a concern nonetheless.
- Superficial wounds are often reported with taser shocks. The barbs, which shoot out toward the individual being pursued, cause puncture wounds in the skin. They can also cause slight burns. Often, wounds are indirectly related to the taser shocks, such as wounds obtained from the individual falling to the ground.
