By Amir Khan
The shock from a Taser can cause cardiac arrest and kill you, according a new study published by the American Medical Association. Researchers analyzed records of eight people who went into cardiac arrest after being shocked with a Taser, seven of whom died, and concluded that the purportedly non-lethal weapon is anything but.
Tasers are a brand of electroshock weapons used by more than 16,000 law enforcement agencies in over 100 countries. The weapon uses electrical currents to disrupt muscle control from a distance, subduing the person without the need for a physical confrontation.
Taser maintains that its products are safe, but between 2000 and 2006, Tasers 160 people died after having a Taser used on them, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Tasers fire barbs that attach to clothes and skin, sending an electric shock through the body which can cause irregular heartbeat and cardiac arrest, a condition in which the heart cannot properly contract according to the study. It is the first scientific, peer-reviewed study to find evidence that Tasers can cause cardiac arrest. (more on ibtimes.com)
