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New way to commit suicide Recently a new way to commit suicide has been discovered by mixing two chemicals that can be bought over the counter at local stores. They are Bonide – a sulfur spray used as an insecticide for fruit trees and hydrochloric (muriatic) acid. Once mixed, the chemicals produce heat and a flammable, noxious gas that causes the subject to pass out and the heart stop within minutes. The process appears to be quick and painless. Two recent cases, one in Pasadena, California and the other at Lake Allatoona in Bartow County, Georgia, involved young men in their early 20’s. Both were found locked inside their cars with the chemicals. Each left a note on the car warning anyone around of danger. The car at Lake Allatoona had been taped to prevent gas from escaping.

Does this sound like a routine call that most of us would respond to and take similar action? It’s Sunday morning 0730 hours, you respond to a person down in auto. You locate a car in the empty parking lot of a business. The engine and med unit pull up near the vehicle and personnel see a person inside that appears to be asleep or unconscious. Wearing safety glasses and medical gloves, you walk up to the car and knock on the window. The patient does not respond to your knock on the window, and the doors are locked. What action will you take? Will you hurry to make patient access? Will you use a lockout tool, center punch, or halligan to make entry? You make access, a rush of warm air comes out of the vehicle and you smell a sharp odor. You have just become a victim and have been exposed to a noxious possibly fatal gas.

What could you have done differently? You are the first-in unit. How should you respond to this type of incident? 1. Do not become complacent! Your response should be similar on every call. 2. Be well trained, know your job, do your job. 3. Start your size-up from the time a call is dispatched. 4. Establish a strong command and control the scene. 5. Don’t go rushing in. 6. Survey the scene. 7. Does the scene look routine? 8. Do you see anything unusual? (Example: A note on the window, containers inside the vehicle and taped windows or vents). 9. Is the scene safe? 10. Wear the appropriate PPE. 11. Establish a Hot Zone. 12. Develop a plan of action and coordinate activities. 13. Call for additional resources. (Hazmat Team, PD, etc.) 14. Did PD arrive prior to FD and become contaminated requiring emergency decon and first aid?

The call listed in the first paragraph of this document started as a routine person down call. This type of incident can easily expand into a full blown Hazardous Materials Incident with a multijurisdictional response. Be aware of this new way to commit suicide and don’t become a victim. Use common sense and stay safe. To review a newspaper article and pictures regarding the suicide in Pasadena, California, visit: http://beaconmedianews.com/2008/08/26/23-year-old-man-commits-suicide-with-chemicals-inside-2003-vw-bug/ To review a newspaper article and pictures regarding the suicide in Barton, Georgia visit: http://www.daily-tribune.com/index.cfm?event=news.view&id=674BB0CD-19B9-E2E2-676...

Ertinst,

Have been asked to look at this by employer, but cannot find a date of the incident.  Do you know the date it occurred or any more info. I couldn't open the Daily Tribune article, but note the date on the photographs from Pasadena are dated 2008.

Many thanks

Also, there's a kind of tape, looks like wide masking tape, that the military puts on the hoods of their vehicles.  If it changes color, it's not safe to go outside without protection, as it indicates various chemical agents being present...a local FF gave me a sample package, but I don't have brand name info handy...will update when I reclaim my stuff from the training facility.

I can see sniffers getting more high tech and even more expensive.

The best I can tell is that it happened in August 26 2008

JC, I got the info thru open sources in the media, so for me that was fair game to share. I know how EMS and Fire respond when it comes to unresponsive people...need to think about this stuff.

Didnt get that one yet JC..email here and give me more info on it

Obviously, this incident and the chemicals involved will be distributed via the internet whether we like it or not.  This is no secret.  Once this is discovered it will spread like wildfire considering the current economic state of the country.  The response however still remains the same.  Be vigilant, suspicious and keep your eyes and nose open on all calls.  Remember: Time, Distance, Shielding.  When in doubt, call Hazmat out!

Well let's see...Level A suit is shielding, we Haz Matters go get the job done as quickly as possible...especially so we have enough air to breath as we go thru decon that takes care of time. We don't play in the stuff and we use tools instead of our hands, guess that counts as distance...lol

In Japan this suicide method is a hype. In 2008 alone more than 1000 people died by H2S suicide.

In my country (The Netherlands) the first one took place on 21 mai, on a parking place in Gulpen. I was waiting for this method to come to Europe, but I had not expected that our country would be the first.

I have started a register to see how this method spreads. Until now I know of 3 cases in the USA (Barton and Pasadena are among them), 1 in Canada and one in my own country. However I think we may have missed several cases which have been kept out of the media. 

Anyone interested in my register can mail me at jmiddelkoop@zonnet.nl or j.middelkoop@brandweeraa.nl and ask for a copy. And any one knowing of other cases is requested to please send me the info available.

We have started informing our personnel on how to recognise the signs and how to act safely.

Jetty Middelkoop,Hazmat officer, FD Amsterdam Amstelland, The Netherlands