How to make suicide gas

ike any living organism, the web is a mesh of cells primarily working with each other toward a goal. But, not every cell is healthy and not every cell agrees on how to contribute. On the web, a cell happens to be a bit of information that can be interpreted as good or bad–accurate or bogus. And, some cells on the web think they can help by sharing information on how to commit suicide “easily” using hydrogen sulfide gas.

Apparently Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, “30,000 Japanese . . . kill themselves every year — the second-highest suicide rate in the industrialized world. Japan’s suicide rate per 100,000 people stood at 25.5 . . . compared with Russia’s 38.7, according to World Health Organization figures.” And using hydrogen sulfide to end it all is growing in popularity.

It certainly puts things in perspective to learn that so many people find everyday life too much to bear.

And it’s also a testament to how easy it is to find information on the web, regardless of its moral flavor.

Hydrogen sulfide gas is the latest trend of suicides, following a prior trend of using the carbon monoxide given off by burning charcoal, according to the Australian.

Ad hoc internet sites that function as suicide bulletin boards have “advertised” hydrogen sulphide as a quicker, less complicated method of ending it all. In one recent posting, “Mr Nameless” advises: “A new suicide method has been developed as an alternative to charcoal suicide.

“You don’t have to light a fire and it’s easier than charcoal. All you have to do is buy two different brands of liquid (which he names) that are easily available from the drug store.”

So what is Hydrogen sulfide? It’s the “chemical compound with the formula H2S. This colorless, toxic and flammable gas is responsible for the foul odour of rotten eggs and flatulence. It often results from the bacterial break down of organic matter in the absence of oxygen, such as in swamps and sewers (anaerobic digestion). It also occurs in volcanic gases, natural gas and some well waters,” according to Wikipedia.


Dozens hit by Japan 'suicide gas'


A Japanese teenager has committed suicide by mixing common household cleaners, releasing fumes that made dozens of people sick, officials said.

About 100 people in Konan City, in western Japan, fled their homes after smelling the toxic hydrogen sulphide the 14-year-old girl had made.

There has been a spate of similar suicides since details of the technique were posted on the internet.

Japan has one of the developed world's highest suicide rates.

At least 30,000 people have killed themselves every year since 1998, according to national statistics.

Toxic chemical

The unidentified girl in Konan City left a note on the bathroom door of her family's flat saying "poison gas being produced", Japanese media said.

About 90 neighbours went to hospital feeling ill, including the girl's mother, who was out of the flat during the suicide but later returned.

Most people complained of sore throats but none was severely ill, officials said.

Police said the teenager mixed detergent with a liquid cleanser to make hydrogen sulphide. The gas is colourless but smells like rotten eggs and is highly toxic, leading to suffocation or brain damage.

In small doses, it leaves people with sore throats, nausea and irritated eyes.

Japanese authorities have set a goal of cutting the country's high suicide rate, through counselling programmes and blocking websites that offer suicide tips.