Alabama wants executions by nitrogen hypoxia: What is it?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama told a federal judge that it could soon be ready to use a new, untried execution method called nitrogen hypoxia to carry out a death sentence.

The disclosure came Monday at a court hearing over inmate Alan Miller's request to block his scheduled Sept. 22 execution by lethal injection. Miller maintains that prison staff lost paperwork he returned in 2018 requesting nitrogen hypoxia, an execution method that the state has authorized but never used.

U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr. asked whether Alabama was ready to carry out executions by nitrogen hypoxia.

James Houts, a deputy state attorney general, said the method could be available as soon as next week. He said, however, that a final decision on when to use the new method would be up to Corrections Commissioner John Hamm. The Alabama Department of Corrections did not respond to an email seeking comment about the status of the proposed new execution method.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/alabama-wants-executions-nitrogen-hypoxia-212753946.html

[Bayard]

1. This sounds worse than lethal injection

"Nitrogen hypoxia is a proposed execution method in which death would be caused by forcing the inmate to breathe only nitrogen, thereby depriving him or her of the oxygen needed to maintain bodily functions."

If your purpose is to find a more humane way to kill people.

[Fullduplexxx]

4. It causes the inhaler to pass out the pass away due to lack of oxygen

[ironflange]

12. Why not just strangle them from behind?

It would be a lot quicker.

[BruceWane]

17. You don't feel like you're suffocating

The feeling of "I can't breathe" doesn't actually come from a lack of oxygen, it comes when your body can't expel enough CO2. When you're in an enclosed area, oxygen levels do drop, but it's actually the rise in CO2 that results in a situation where you're breathing in as much CO2 as you're exhaling and this is what your body senses.

By replacing atmosphere with nitrogen, the body is still able to easily expel CO2 so you don't ever get the "I can't breathe" feeling. You don't know anything's wrong and your blood O2 levels drop until your brain just shuts down and you pass out and die. This is why nitrogen leaks in industrial settings are so dangerous - people will remain in the area of the leak without ever knowing anything is wrong until they drop dead.

So basically, an inmate would be placed in an air-tight room where the atmosphere is then replaced with nitrogen. It's about as humane a method of execution as I can imagine. Fool-proof as well.

That said, I 100% oppose capital punishment in all cases, for any reason.

[Amishman]

26. Thank you for this write-up, saved me from doing it

If we are to have capital punishment, nitrogen is the most reasonable way to do it.

[Zeitghost]

20. It's how they are doing at least some assisted suicide in Switzerland

Apparently it is not the lack of Oxygen but rather the elevated CO2 levels that give the body the the feeling of suffocation. With nitrogen hypoxia you don't feel any discomfort as you fall asleep and pass away.

I'm against capital punishment, mostly because I don't trust the justice system to get things right 100% of the time, but from what I have read this seems to be an acceptable method.

[TheBlackAdder]

33. While you would breathe, no oxygen, so you breath more and faster like you are suffocating.

.

It would almost like dying from arsenic poisoning. Where the arsenic bonds stronger than oxygen molecules and the blood never releases them so you suffocate.

By the time you realize you are suffocating, it's too late.


When you are flying in a plane above 8K at night, hypoxia, or the lack of oxygen is a slow process that starts to turn your fingernails blue. You'll either pass out, or you only have a few minutes to get air before you realize you're dying.

What catches people off guard is an odorant-free gas that replaces the air you breathe and by the time you realize that you aren't breathing air you're boned. You still suffer from shortness of breath. Your lungs may not burn in the process but you body will try to get oxygen so it will automatically raise breathing levels.

.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. After six worker deaths in nitrogen leak, Labor Dept. fines poultry plant, three other companies

Last edited Fri Sep 16, 2022, 09:42 AM - Edit history (1)

BUSINESS

After six worker deaths in nitrogen leak, Labor Dept. fines poultry plant, three other companies

By Eli Rosenberg
July 23, 2021 at 2:32 p.m. EDT

The Biden administration cited and fined a Georgia poultry processor and three other companies nearly $1 million for their role in a nitrogen leak at the plant that killed six workers in January.

{snip}

The nitrogen leak occurred when a freezer at the plant malfunctioned early in the morning on Jan. 28. As employees were working to troubleshoot the issue, the tub of the freezer began to overfill and release a gas form of the liquid nitrogen, Labor Department officials said.

Three workers entered the freezer room without precautions, having never been trained on the risks of nitrogen exposure, and were overcome immediately by the nitrogen, the agency said. Another two who entered the room were also overcome; a sixth died on the way to the hospital. Another dozen workers were treated for injuries at hospitals.

{snip}

Crime & Safety

Poultry Plant Deaths 'Entirely Avoidable': Labor Department

OSHA identified 59 safety violations at the Gainesville poultry plant where six workers died of asphyxiation from a liquid-nitrogen leak.

Jim Massara, Patch Staff

Posted Fri, Jul 23, 2021 at 1:06 pm ET

GEORGIA — The deaths of six workers due to leaking liquid nitrogen at a Gainesville poultry plant were “entirely avoidable,” according to a Department of Labor statement released Friday.

As a consequence, four companies involved with running the plant are facing close to $1 million in federal fines.

“Six people’s deaths, and injuries suffered by at least a dozen others, were entirely avoidable,” Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said in Friday’s statement. “The bottom line is no one should leave for work wondering if they’ll return home at the end of the day.”

{snip}

[ProfessorGAC]

19. I Know A Guy Whose Dad Died This Way

Storage tank entry accident.
Guy went in side manway and the nitrogen blanket valve leaked through. This was in the days before a physical line break was standard practice.
He passed out. The dad went into to rescue, but the effort of dragging the guy to the opening passed out, too.
The first guy, closer to the opening, lived. The rescuer died.
Cause of death was hypoxia.
Unfortunately, this is not uncommon, particularly in industries where safety is not a high focus.

[RockRaven]

3. It's suffocation. They're going to suffocate people and call it good.

[FSogol]

9. It is different than suffocation. If you can't get enough O2, carbon dioxide builds up, you suffer,

and cannot breathe. Your body is reacting to the large amount of carbon dioxide. With Nitrogen, you breathe normal until you drop from lack of O2. No suffering, spasms, or panic. If I had my choice, Nitrogen is a quick, peaceful way to go.

All of that said, I am against the death penalty.

[RockRaven]

18. Suffocation has a broader dictionary-definition than asphyxiation, which is what you are describing.

And asphyxiation's rise in CO2 is due to a lack of ventilation, not "not getting enough O2."

Suffocation is a perfectly fine and correct descriptor to use in a public policy debate of this method of execution. Virtually none of the legislators, lawyers, judges, etc involved have technical expertise in medicine or respiratory physiology, so colloquial language usage is fine.

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. It's suffocation.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

6. Abolish the death penalty.

[Solly Mack]

38. Exactly.

[Emile]

7. Drowning

[CentralMass]

25. Suffocating with out feeling like you are suffocating.

[obamanut2012]

8. The death penalty will always, always be inhumane

Always.

But, if the State has to murder people, this is literally the most painless way, and is also a painless way some folks commit suicide.

You pass out from no O2 and then die, but there is no sensation of suffocation because nitrogen is there.

[BlackSkimmer]

21. "the most painless way."

No one is going to be able to provide evidence for that, are they?

[Disaffected]

32. Why not?

Folks have passed out many times due to lack of oxygen (nitrogen asphyxiation being one example) and one reason is that they feel little of anything before they suddenly pass out. We know that from those who have survived. Same applies to helium breathing (people have accidently croaked from inhaling party balloon helium).

That leaves the remote possibility of regaining consciousness for some reason, before dying, and not being able to communicate because of paralysis. AFAIK there is no evidence to support such a thing and if it were a concern, brain wave analysis could be used to test it.

[maveric]

10. Why don't they use heroin?

Quick and cheap.
Took my brother in less than three minutes.
Painless.

[Act_of_Reparation]

13. They don't want you enjoying your execution.

Which seems proof enough to me that it ain't really about justice.

[Disaffected]

15. Or fentanyl.

Sometimes I think currently employed methods of execution are meant to cause pain and suffering.

[moonshinegnomie]

27. theres a couple of reasons they dont use heroin or fentanyl

1) obtaining it. drug companies dont want their drugs being used in executions and have provented states from getiing supplies of currently used drugs. thats why they want to switch
2) they would require a medical professional to administer and most wont do it.

nitrogen is easy to get,and wouldnt require any real training to use.literally lock them on an air tight room and pump in the nitrogen.

[Disaffected]

28. Yeah, I guess

supply would be an issue alright.

Nitrogen, as well as helium and argon are easy to get (and administer).

Heck, they could even repurpose old gas chambers for the purpose.

[moonshinegnomie]

29. helium is tough to get

theres actually helium shortages.
nitrogen is about the easiest to get since air is 78% nitrogen already.

as to gas chambers i dont see why not but i think they are going to use a mask

[Disaffected]

36. Helium as still available in small quantities

for party balloons AFAIK and it doesn't take much to cause death.

But yeah, nitrogen seems to be the easiest & best choice and a mask would be the most likely method.

There are lots of other candidates such as carbon monoxide and anesthesia gases such as isoflurane etc. which could be used if nitrogen for some reason proved later on to be problematical.

[Disaffected]

11. I've wondered for a long while,

particularly in view of the horrific experiences with lethal injection, why hypoxia was not apparently being considered (either with nitrogen or helium). This method is IMO far more humane than any of the alternatives excepting possibly a bullet in the nape of the neck.

The subject, as I understand it, quickly passes out and with little or no physical discomfort. In fact air inhaled under prolonged pressure such as with deep-water diving can cause a phenomenon called "rapture of the deep" or, "nitrogen narcosis", this being caused by increased concentrations of nitrogen in the blood. Symptoms are:

"Commonly called Rapture of the Deep. A neurologic response to increased nitrogen gas dissolved in blood, resulting in euphoria, apathy, loss of judgement;..."

This taken from:

https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/rapture+of+the+deep

This method would furthermore be much easier to administer than any other, especially lethal injection.

[Walleye]

14. Alabama.Hope they don't get it mixed up with the fetuses they're protecting jailing pregnant girls

“Right to life”state finds a new way to commit a cold blooded killing

[ultralite001]

16. Sounds cruel and unusual to me...

That is all...

[tenderfoot]

22. Why so moralist?

https://democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=17152090

[Phoenix61]

23. It's being used in Sweden for assisted suicide.

https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/584513-assisted-suicide-pod-approved-in-switzerland/amp/

[CentralMass]

24. We had a coworker die from this years ago. He plugged his

breathing apparatus into a line labeled oxygen. However it was newly added "plumbing" that was being purged with nitrogen to "dry it out". A coworker (buddy system) left to get some tools and when he came back he found his coworker on the floor. They revived him amd rushed him to the ER but he was "brain dead" and passed days later. It was tragic.

[Mr.Bill]

30. It sounds a hell of a lot more humane

than the gas chamber Cailfornia used to use.

[CentralMass]

37. Yes but they are still strapping a mask on you that will take your life.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

39. State killings aren't humane.

[DFW]

31. How to distinguish your country in the community of nations

Be at the forefront of imaginative ways to kill people. What a distinguished honor for our country.

[niyad]

35. We're #1!

[niyad]

34. Top four countries with death penalty: US, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and China.