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an unnamed 23-year old Wellington man, recommended man- datory oxygen contamination. Both men had died using Bal- loon Time helium.
In April 2015, the largest manufacturer of disposable helium cylinders, Worthingtons, finally announced that their dispos- able helium cylinders may now contain up to 20% air (ie. up to 4% oxygen). As stated earlier, the contamination of a source of 100% helium with up to 20% air (and 4% oxygen) is a game- changer as far as death from hypoxia is concerned. This de- velopment by Worthingtons means that their disposable Bal- loon Time helium gas cylinders should NOT BE USED by those wishing to end their lives by hypoxia.
Whether economic factors are driving this change is unknown. However, this could well be the case given the steep increase in the cost of helium in recent years. A trend which is predicted to continue into the foreseeable future. Indeed, some are pre- dicting that Helium will disappear altogether within the next 25 years.
It is interesting to note that the British Tesco/ BOC equivalent of Balloon Time has not followed Worthington’s lead in oxygen contamination.
To recap: it is critical to ensure that the gas source chosen for a hypoxic death is free of any sig- nificant contamination with oxy- gen. If there is any doubt, Exit strongly recommends that the gas be tested.
Fig 5.8: Meter used to detect oxygen contamination