Posted on 10/09/2022 6:55:39 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Amazon is facing a lawsuit accusing it of selling so-called suicide kits, brought by the families of two teenagers who bought a deadly chemical on the company's website and later used it to take their own lives.
The parents of 16-year-old Kristine Jónsson of Ohio and the parents of 17-year-old Ethan McCarthy of West Virginia say the retail giant assisted in the deaths of the two minors by selling them sodium nitrite, a food preservative that is fatal at high levels of purity.
The complaint filed in California state court in September claims Amazon recommended that customers who purchased the chemical also buy a scale to measure the correct dose, an anti-vomiting drug and Amazon's edition of a handbook on assisted suicide.
"Amazon is selling a product that is as deadly as cyanide," Carrie Goldberg and Naomi Leeds, two attorneys for the families, said in a statement.
"This is different from them selling rope, knives, or other implements that can be used for death because there is no household use for [sodium nitrite] at the level of purity (98-99%) it sells it," they added.
Sodium nitrite is typically used at low concentrations to cure meats such as ham, bacon and hot dogs, but people who ingest very high levels of the substance can have trouble breathing, develop abdominal pain and even die.
A previous complaint filed in Washington state earlier this year by the same law firm alleged that Amazon sold the drug to two other people — 27-year-old Mikael Scott and 17-year-old Tyler Muhleman — who also used it to kill themselves.
In a statement, Amazon extended its "deepest condolences" to the families and loved ones of people affected by suicide and said it made customer safety a top priority. The company told NPR it requires sellers to follow all applicable laws and regulations.
"Sodium nitrite is a legal and widely-available product offered by retailers to preserve foods, such as meats and fish, and for use in laboratories as a reagent. Sodium nitrite is not intended for consumption, and unfortunately, like many products, it can be misused," the spokesperson said in a statement.
Loudwolf, the company that produced the sodium nitrite the two teenagers in the California case bought on Amazon, did not respond to a request for comment. The attorneys who brought the lawsuit say Loudwolf's sodium nitrite is no longer sold on Amazon.
Goldberg and Leeds say there is a little-known antidote to sodium nitrite that people should know about: an injection of methylene blue. According to the lawsuit, Amazon sold ad space on several sodium nitrite product pages to a brand of methylene blue, but the product listing for Loudwolf's sodium nitrite did not mention the antidote's existence.
The plaintiffs say posts on online suicide forums discuss the use of sodium nitrite to kill oneself and that Amazon has received complaints from people warning the company that customers are using the drug to die by suicide.
In February, a bipartisan group of House members sent a letter to Amazon asking about the retailer's sales of Sodium Nitrite and related suicides, details on what the company has done about the dangers of the substance and information about how it responded to complaints, The New York Times reported.
The newspaper said at the time that it had identified 10 people who had used the chemical purchased on Amazon to kill themselves in the previous two years.
Editor's note: Amazon is one of NPR's financial supporters.
It's for the chillrun!!
I’d like to see what these parents keep stored in their kitchen sink cabinet. There’s enough under our sink to put fentanyl to shame.
No useful purpose? When I was a kid you could buy it at the corner store. Mixed with sugar it made a nice pyro display.
My question is...how could someone under 18 or 21 buy this stuff? DO the parents not know what their kids are up to?
I think you are referring to potassium nitrate (or the less reactive sodium nitrate). My friend’s father was a pharmacist. We got it for 27 cents a pound back in the ‘60s IIRC.
It’s not exactly a controlled substance. And prepaid Visa cards or Amazon gift cards are easy to get.
It’s normally used at low concentrations to cure meats, but some people like to control the percentages or use different ingredients to dilute it with. That’s why it’s available both in pure form and in ready-to-use form.
I find this lawsuit concerning because of how many other items might suddenly be restricted or removed altogether. A lot of things are deadly at high concentrations. Going into the baking season, I guess I should be glad they didn’t use nutmeg as their poison.
“... claims Amazon recommended that customers who purchased the chemical also buy a scale to measure the correct dose, an anti-vomiting drug and Amazon’s edition of a handbook on assisted suicide.”
I assume by “recommends,” they mean Amazon’s “frequently bought together” algorithm that shows you what items other purchasers bought along with the item in question. It’s interesting if this is true, and it does suggest that users are intentionally putting together suicide kits. Which is sad.
I use sodium nitrite when making jerky, What I use is 6.5% and it is used sparingly.
Any chance Bernie will sign up?
Potassium chlorate plus aluminum powder. Lots of fun!
Correct. Otherwise known as saltpeter. We used to buy it at the Pak-a-Sak (pre 7-11) mix it with sulfur, charcoal and sugar.
Thing is, anything can be a poison, depending on the dose.
I hear ya! The problem is one person does something with a product that they shouldn’t and the government decides nobody can buy it now. I guess this kind of mindset has been getting worse and worse.
Looking for their ticket.
Were I on the jury the families would get nothing. This is just a lawsuit money grab to get rich.
Is that the same as Prague Powder?
First off the SOB who held a gun to these poor kids head and forced them to take a lethal dose should be arrested.
I guess I won’t buy the nitrogen tank from Amazon , fill it at the local welding supply store. I don’t want either to get a lawsuit for killing my self painlessly or operating a beer keg whichever occurs first.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.