Medical journal calls for review of Taser safety

An editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal is calling for more study of the health risks posed by stun guns.

The opinion piece released on Thursday argues that Taser use is a public health issue, and Canadian officials should not be relying on the manufacturer, Taser International, or its paid research to determine if stun guns are safe.

It also questions the assertion by Taser International that the weapon does not adversely affect the heart, and its explanation that people who die after being shocked by a Taser were killed by excited delirium rather than the effects of the stun gun. 

"We were hoping to draw attention to the odd ways in which the message on Tasers has really been controlled by Taser proponents," said Dr. Matthew Stanbrook, the author of the editorial and an assistant professor, researcher and specialist in respirology at Toronto Western Hospital.

He told CBC News that while the public has been told that Tasers save lives, he says the number of deaths that have occurred after a Taser was used would prompt warnings and action by regulators if the weapon were a medical device or a drug.

"Make that data available to independent qualified researchers, epidemiologists that could answer the questions as to whether or not the use of this device has indeed saved lives of law enforcement personnel and suspects as has been claimed, or whether it has not," Stanbrook said.

More than 300 people in North America, including 20 in Canada, have died after being struck by a Taser.

Taser International has defended its devices in several lawsuits and stresses that the weapon has never been directly blamed for a death. It has, however, been cited repeatedly as a contributing factor.

Most recent research not funded by Taser, maker claims

Peter Holran, a Taser International spokesman, said Stanbrook's claim that the company has funded most of the safety research is based on a 2005 newspaper article.

"Over the three years since that article was written, most of the research by the governments of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and leading academic and medical institutions has been funded independent of Taser International," he said, adding that 80 per cent of 120 major studies or assessments of the devices have been funded independently from the manufacturer.

The stun guns are widely used by police, who say the device is a safe way to apprehend a combative individual.

Stun gun safety was called into question after Robert Dziekanski, a 40-year-old Polish man, died at Vancouver International Airport after being shocked with a Taser by police on Oct. 14, 2007.

Dziekanski's death renewed calls by Amnesty International and other critics for a moratorium on Taser use until a comprehensive and independent safety review is conducted.

Stanbrook said the Journal was mindful that an inquiry in Dziekanski's death begins next week and that he's hopeful the journal editorial may be useful information for the inquiry.