Rescuers Study Chemical Suicides

Fredericksburg's fire, rescue and HAZMAT teams recently received a primer on a new type of suicide, one which poses a lethal threat to first responders. Called a chemical suicide, the act is carried out by mixing household cleaners and detergents to produce a cloud of toxic gas. After killing its intended victim, the cloud of gas remains present, threatening to subdue those who attempt a rescue. 

According to Fredericksburg Fire Department Public Information Officer Natatia Bledsoe, there have been no cases of chemical suicides in the city. However, a recent surge in chemical suicides nationwide has caught the attention of first responders. 

According to an article from FireRescue1.com, the incidence of chemical suicides in the United States has risen from 3 in 2008 to more than 30 in 2010. The chemical suicide phenomenon originated in Japan, where they go by the name detergent sucide, in 2007, and has spread around the world as instructions for mixing various chemicals to produce toxic gases are refined and shared on the internet. 

According to a June article in the New York Times, at least 80 percent of chemical suicides have resulted in injuries to first responders exposed to the gases. 

Last year, several Henrico County first responders were hospitalized after arriving on the scene of a woman who killed herself with methyl bromide fumes. 

According to Deputy Fire Chief Mark Bledsoe, the surge in chemical suicides and the Henrico County incident prompted the local training session. There, local rescuers met with Virginia Department of Emergency Management HazMat Officer Joe Taylor to learn to recognize and manage a chemical suicide incident.