Detergent Death

 

DETERGENT DEATH

In Japan, detergents and cleaning agents (including bleach and toilet cleaners) have unfortunately been misused in suicide attempts, sometimes ingested or mixed to release toxic gases.

Detergent suicide using hydrogen sulfide gas became a widely reported epidemic in 2008–2009.

It involved mixing bath additives containing sulfur compounds with acidic toilet cleaners, generating lethal hydrogen sulfide gas.

Hundreds of deaths occurred, with spillover effects: toxic fumes sometimes endangered neighbors and emergency responders.

This triggered government warnings, restrictions on information sharing online, and reformulations of certain products.

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