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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/HarlemHarlowe on 2026-08-06 11:12:40+00:00.

So a few years ago my husband bought me one of those safety keychains. The ones with a taser, pepper spray, 'kitty' shaped knuckles, window breaker etc. I didn't have a lot of use for it but it was from my husband so I kept it. After about a year I realised that the paper spray was somehow empty, even though I'd never used it.

In the end, threw away the empty spray canister, stored away the knuckles and window breaker parts, but kept the taser in its little Velcro pouch in my work bag.

Come to this morning, the taser catches my eye in my work bag, so I take it out to see if it still works. I open the Velcro patch on the pouch and push the on switch. Within seconds my throat and nose are BURNING! I'm coughing like I'm going to hack up a lung, my nose feels like its on fire and is running like a faucet. Because of all of this my eyes start streaming, but there's no pain.

I fumble to the bathroom for some toilet paper to wipe my nose. I also try to wipe the tears from my eyes with my hands. Bad idea.... Suddenly the skin around my eyes is also on fire.

This is all within 30 seconds of opening the Velcro on the long forgotten taser. I have no idea what has happened, I think I'm dying, about to vomit from how hard I'm coughing, can't breathe through my nose, and now can't open my eyes with the pain.

I managed to fill a cup of water from the sink and get it down my throat to somewhat soothe the throat. My nose is still stinging but is definitely the least affected of the three. I made my way through half open eyes to the freezer to put some ice on my eyes. The ices soothes the pain to the point where I can start to wonder what the fuck just happened to me.

With one hand I go to google and ask, how can a taser do this to me??!

Turns out that the oil based capsaicin trapped in the Velcro can stay there for a long ass time. And me opening that Velcro patch on the taser pouch launched the residual pepper spray straight at my face and hands.

At least the internet was able to tell me what happened, otherwise I'd still be sitting here wondering.

So yay, its 4 hours later and the skin around my eyes still feels like its been sunburned.....

TL;DR: Didn't realise there was residual pepper spray on the Velcro of the taser pouch. Opened the Velcro which then sprayed that residue onto my face and hands, I then spent 10 minutes fumbling and thinking WTF just happened.