Taser Side Effects: Understanding Potential Risks and Safety

A taser---also spelled "tazer," depending on manufacturer---is a weapon that employs an electrical current to interrupt a person's voluntary muscle control. As of May 2009, taser weapons can be carried by civilians without a permit in 43 states in the U.S. Various side effects have been reported by people on whom tasers have been used.

General Safety Concerns

• The largest U.S. manufacturer of taser weapons, Scottsdale, Arizona-based Taser International, claims their products are safe. Some critics disagree, including Amnesty International and various other civil liberties groups worldwide.

Falls

• Falling to the ground is an inevitable result of being stunned by a taser weapon. Injuries ranging from minor scrapes to broken bones are not uncommon.

Embedded Barbs

• The metal barbs used to deliver the electrical jolt can become embedded in the skin, requiring removal by a physician. As with any injury that penetrates flesh, subsequent infection is a possibility.

Cardiac Arrhythmia

• In certain individuals, including those with existing heart problems, high-voltage electroshock devices such as taser weapons can cause cardiac arrhythmia, which may in turn lead to cardiac arrest. Multiple shocks increase this risk.

Brain Injury

• A study conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto and Toronto Western Hospital, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, reported in March 2009 that receiving a taser hit to the head could result in brain-related injuries such as seizures, mild traumatic brain injury and post-concussion syndrome.