FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Theresa Braid, Theresa.braid@mail.house.gov
Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Mike Carey (OH-15) announced the passage of his Youth Poisoning Protection Act. The bill, which was partially inspired by the 2020 death of Hilliard sixteen-year-old Kristine Jónsson.
“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare: a faceless stranger over the internet teaching your child how to take their own life, and your child, in a moment of vulnerability, listening to them,” said Congressman Carey.
“At present, these chemicals are readily available online for minors to purchase and ship to their front door. This passage is a crucial step to getting deadly poisons out of the hands of our children,” Carey concluded.
Kristin Jónsson, mother of Kristine Jónsson, said “So often people shrug their shoulders and think that is someone wants to die by suicide, there’s just nothing to be done, but the truth is that when lethal means are not available, the crisis will often pass. If this law existed when companies first learned of the SN danger, my daughter would have had a chance. Someday there will be a mother who is spared the pain our family is going through because this so-called quick and easy method recommended and sold online won’t be available.”
“I’m incredibly grateful to the lawmakers, including my own representative, Mike Carey. Psychologists have long known that suicide is often impulsive and that people change their minds in the middle of the act but when something this lethal and irreversible is easily available — especially to children — there’s almost no hope of survival,” Jónsson concluded.
Carrie Goldberg and Naomi Leeds, who represent 30 families (including the Jónssons) who lost loved ones to sodium nitrite self-poisoning said, “Over three years ago we first started urging an online retailer to stop selling industrial grade sodium nitrite to households, informing them that the chemical was touted on suicide discussion boards and had killed our clients’ children. Then retailer told us that even if it was used for suicide, they had no responsibility to stop selling it. So they kept selling it, delivering it to homes across America, and killing more teens and vulnerable adults. In other countries where it was illegal to sell it, though, they complied with the law. We went from representing one family to thirty because so many more people died. Most consumers don’t know how deadly a small quantity of SN is, how excruciating it is to ingest, and how unlikely survival is even if they call 911. On behalf of the dozens of heartbroken families we’re working with, we express regret this law couldn’t save their loved ones and gratitude for the lives it will spare.”
The bill was co-led in the House of Representatives by Representative Lori Trahan (MA-03). In the Senate, the Youth Poisoning Protection Act is led by Senators J.D. Vance (OH) and Tammy Duckworth (IL).
“The Youth Poisoning Protection Act is urgently needed to limit consumer access to high concentrations of a dangerous, toxic chemical that’s being promoted online as a method to die by suicide,” Congresswoman Trahan said. “It solely seeks to end the straight to consumer sale of highly concentrated Sodium Nitrite that is helping fuel the efforts of anonymous suicide forum users pushing vulnerable people to end their lives. It’s simple, it’s straightforward, and it has the potential to save lives.”
The Youth Poisoning Protection Act is supported by Consumer Reports, Public Citizen, Consumer Federation of America, National Consumers League, and the Crisis Text Line.
Background
Sodium nitrite is a chemical used primarily in the preservation of meat and fish. However, if consumed, a spoonful of highly-concentrated sodium nitrite can be 100 times more deadly than other poisons.
Kristine Jónsson’s death is one in a troubling trend of young people learning about and accessing the highly lethal sodium nitrite. In recent years, the number of sodium nitrite self-poisonings have increased nine times over.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, feeling at risk of suicide, or experiencing a state of distress, it is crucial to find help immediately. There are many resources available, including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline which provides free, confidential support 24/7, and the Crisis Text Line which offers free crisis counseling 24/7. Dial 988 or text HOME to 741741 to connect with these services.