Prime eligible poisons: identification of extremely hazardous substances available on Amazon.com<sup>®</sup>

Leonard, James; Hines, Elizabeth Quaal; Anderson, Bruce D.

doi:10.1080/15563650.2019.1594870

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Unintentional fatalities after new psychoactive substances ingestion are well known nowadays [6][7][8][9][10], however, an increasing number of cases of suicide attempts using old, well-known drugs and poisons such as barbiturates [11][12][13][14], cyanide [15][16][17], chloroform [18,19], azide [20][21][22][23], and DMSO [24] (which were ordered online) are reported in the literature as well. The use of such substances is facilitated by the fact that such toxic substances can be easily purchased on websites such as eBay ® (https://www.ebay.com/, accessed on 2 August 2023) and Amazon ® (https://www.amazon.com/,accessed on 2 August 2023) [24][25][26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrites: An Old Poison or a Current Hazard? Epidemiology of Intoxications Covering the Last 100 Years and Evaluation of Analytical Methods

Tusiewicz,

Kuropka,

Workiewicz

et al. 2023

Toxics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In recent times, there has been a concerning and noteworthy rise in the global use of sodium nitrite for suicidal purposes. This is facilitated either through the employment of specialized “suicide kits” or by acquiring sodium nitrite through alternative means. Additionally, another occurrence contributing to nitrite poisoning is the recreational utilization of nitrites in the form of volatile aliphatic esters of nitrous acid, commonly referred to as “poppers”. Based on current available papers and reports on the subject of nitrates, nitrites, and poppers intoxications, an epidemiological analysis and evaluation of analytical methods were performed. A total of 128 papers, documenting a collective count of 492 intoxication cases, were identified. Additionally, in order to complete the epidemiological profile of nitrite poisoning, the authors briefly examined six cases of nitrite intoxication that were under investigation in our laboratory. Furthermore, a review of nitrite poisoning cases over the past 100 years shows that the old poison is still in use and poses a substantial risk to society.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrites: An Old Poison or a Current Hazard? Epidemiology of Intoxications Covering the Last 100 Years and Evaluation of Analytical Methods

Tusiewicz,

Kuropka,

Workiewicz

et al. 2023

Toxics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As a result of sodium azide’s promotion as a substance for use in self-euthanasia, the incidence of sodium azide poisonings increased in the Netherlands and surrounding countries [ 5 , 6 ]. It is likely that the convenience of purchasing the substance through online retailers has contributed to the increase in the usage of sodium azide as a (fatal) method of suicide [ 7 , 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Internet-Purchased Sodium Azide Used in a Fatal Suicide Attempt: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Heijden

Hondel

Olyslager

et al. 2023

Toxics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There has been a significant increase in sodium azide intoxications since the 1980s. Intoxications caused by sodium azide are becoming increasingly prevalent in the Netherlands as a result of its promotion for the purpose of self-euthanasia. The mechanism of toxicity is not completely understood but is dose-dependent. The presented case describes a suicide by sodium azide of a young woman (26 years old) with a history of depression and suicide attempts. The decedent was found in the presence of prescription medicine, including temazepam, domperidone in combination with omeprazole, and the chemical preservative sodium azide. Quantitative toxicology screening of whole blood revealed the presence of 70 µg/L temazepam (toxic range > 1000 µg/L) and 28 mg/L sodium azide (fatal range: 2.6–262 mg/L). Whole blood qualitative analysis revealed the presence of temazepam, temazepam-glucuronide, olanzapine, n-desmethylolanzapine, and acetaminophen. In circles promoting sodium azide, it is recommended to use sodium azide in combination with medications targeting sodium azide’s negative effects, such as analgesics, antiemetics, and anti-anxiety drugs. The medicines recovered at the body’s location, as well as the results of the toxicology screens, were consistent with the recommendations of self-euthanasia using sodium azide.

show abstract

“…As Bruin et al stated in their recent paper, in the last few years, the attention for sodium azide as a suicide drug in the Netherlands is rising, and even in 2020 two fatal cases of intentional ingestion were reported 11 . Furthermore, easy access to this poison on websites such as Amazon ® 23 poses a real danger these days. The reported ranges of sodium azide concentration in authentic caseworks were as follows: blood, 2.6–262 µg/mL; bile, 21.4–1283 µg/mL; intestinal contents, 429–7360 µg/g; gastric contents, 8.8–58,900 µg/g; and liver, 6.1–14 µg/g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel procedure for stabilization of azide in biological samples and method for its determination (HS-GC-FID/FID)

Wachełko¹,

Zawadzki

Szpot

2021

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sodium azide is an old poison with toxicity comparable to potassium cyanide. It would seem to be completely forgotten however, between 2000 and 2020, the number of intentional ingestions and murders committed with sodium azide significantly increased. Furthermore, due to its extreme instability, sodium azide is difficult to detect, which poses an additional risk when used to commit a crime. In this study, the epidemiology of sodium azide exposures between 1920 and 2020 was investigated. For the determination the azide concentration in biological samples, a simple, precise and selective headspace gas chromatography method (HS-GC-FID/FID) was developed and fully validated. The limit of quantification was 0.65 µg/mL; and the limit of detection was 0.35 µg/mL; precision and accuracy did not exceed 20%. The stability study was conducted for various biological fluids (urine, bile, blood, gastric content) for 91 days in the refrigerator (4 °C) and the method for stabilization of azide was presented. The addition of a mixture of borax and sodium fluoride (w/w 3:1) to the test tubes can stabilize this poison. The described unique technique of collecting the biological samples poses a great potential for azide detection in clinical and toxicology laboratories even long time after human exposure to this substance.

show abstract

Prime eligible poisons: identification of extremely hazardous substances available on Amazon.com^®

Cited by 7 publications

References 11 publications

Nitrites: An Old Poison or a Current Hazard? Epidemiology of Intoxications Covering the Last 100 Years and Evaluation of Analytical Methods

Nitrites: An Old Poison or a Current Hazard? Epidemiology of Intoxications Covering the Last 100 Years and Evaluation of Analytical Methods

Internet-Purchased Sodium Azide Used in a Fatal Suicide Attempt: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

A novel procedure for stabilization of azide in biological samples and method for its determination (HS-GC-FID/FID)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Prime eligible poisons: identification of extremely hazardous substances available on Amazon.com®

Cited by 7 publications

References 11 publications

Nitrites: An Old Poison or a Current Hazard? Epidemiology of Intoxications Covering the Last 100 Years and Evaluation of Analytical Methods

Nitrites: An Old Poison or a Current Hazard? Epidemiology of Intoxications Covering the Last 100 Years and Evaluation of Analytical Methods

Internet-Purchased Sodium Azide Used in a Fatal Suicide Attempt: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

A novel procedure for stabilization of azide in biological samples and method for its determination (HS-GC-FID/FID)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Prime eligible poisons: identification of extremely hazardous substances available on Amazon.com^®