Which mucous membranes outside the eyes are commonly irritated by OC?

• A. Nose, throat, mouth, and upper airways, leading to coughing and throat irritation.
• B. Only the eyes.
• C. Skin on hands and arms.
• D. Digestive tract.

Answer: (A)

OC spray acts as an irritant to mucous membranes. When exposure isn’t limited to the eyes, the most commonly affected surfaces are the nose, throat, mouth, and upper airways. Irritation of these mucous membranes triggers reflexes like coughing and throat irritation, and can also cause a runny nose or sneezing as the body responds to the irritant. The other options aren’t as representative: skin on the hands and arms isn’t a mucous membrane, and the digestive tract would only be irritated if the spray were swallowed, which is less typical. So the nose, throat, mouth, and upper airways are the mucous membranes outside the eyes most commonly irritated by OC.