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Concentrations of over 0.1% (1000ppm) will lead to immediate loss of consciousness and rapid death. Production of the gas in a confined space (with levels in excess of 1%) will cause certain death.
Production of the Gas The gas is easily produced using readily available ingredients. The usual method employed is to add a concentrated acid to an inorganic sulfide. For example adding concentrated hydrochloric acid to calcium sulfide leads to the rapid production of the gas.
2HCl + CaS 4 H2 S + CaCl
The sulfide used in the early spate of Japanese suicides was reported as ‘bath sulphur’ a product used as a supplement added to bath water for therapeutic use. In western countries where there is little interest in sulphur baths, the commonest source of sulfides is the readily available ‘Lime Sulphur’ used as a common fungicide and insecticide by home gardeners. The major ingredient is calcium polysulfide (CaSx
) in aqueous solution.
Fig 8.1 Simple ingredients used in Detergent Suicide