HAZMAT REFRESHER CHEMICAL SUICIDE BOONE COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT HAZMAT REFRESHER CHEMICAL SUICIDE

Purpose Provide firefighters with a guideline for identifying key components of a chemical suicide and then tools to handle those incidents

32B03 – MAN DOWN UNK PROBLEM 60D4O – GAS ODOR INSIDE Not just your “typical” Emergency: 32B03 – MAN DOWN UNK PROBLEM 60D4O – GAS ODOR INSIDE

USE CAUTION

BE ON YOUR TOES Unconscious Individuals Tape over vents, doors, and windows Suicide Note Posted Warning to First Responders of Present Danger Chemical containers in and around the vehicle or room Smell of Rotten Eggs

H2S Common Name: HYDROGEN SULFIDE DOT Number: UN 1053 NAERG Code: 117 CAS Number: 7783-06-4 Hazard rating: NJDHSS NFPA FLAMMABILITY: - 4 REACTIVITY: - 0 FLAMMABLE -EXPLOSIVE Hydrogen Sulfide is a colorless gas Soluble in water

Chemicals Used Bonide Sulfur Spray- Insecticide Include but NOT limited to: Bonide Sulfur Spray- Insecticide Hydrochloric (Muriatic) Acid (Pool Chemical) Toilet Bowl Cleaner Laundry Detergent

Mechanism of Action How it works Naturally Produced in the Body Acts as an irritant and chemical asphyxiant Acts as a relaxant of smooth muscle---Vasodilator Mitochondrial Poison (Similar to Cyanide) Prevents oxygen transport by binding with hemoglobin in red blood cells Once in the body it is rapidly distributed to various organs CNS, Lungs, Liver, etc. High values present in people who have: Alzheimer’s Disease Down Syndrome Type 1 Diabetes Most Dangerous aspect of hydrogen sulfide is the result of Olfactory Accommodation This means that the individual can accommodate the odor and is not able to detect the presence of the chemical after a short period of time Happens to people exposed to 150 ppm or greater Lungs show “hydrogen sulfide intoxication” and major prolonged lung damage Lungs are from a 45 year old male found unconscious in a storage tank of salted radish and rice

IDLH 100 ppm Interventions Set Parameters EMS 700 ppm 1 breath = DEATH Establish a HOT zone 100 meters minimum Emergency Decon? EMS High Flow 02 H2S acts like Cyanide poisoning and binds with hemoglobin Unconscious and death has been recorded following prolonged exposure of 50 ppm IDLH 100 ppm 700 ppm 1 breath = DEATH

What’s that Smell? 0.13 ppm Plant and Animal Breakdown Swamps / Bogs Hot Springs Waste Disposal Sewers Paper Manufacturers 0.13 ppm These smells are noticeable at 0.13 ppm or less.

Sugar Creek, MO Dec. 22, 2009 A man used hydrogen cyanide chemicals to kill himself in a confined pickup truck. Four responders and a family member were exposed to the toxic gases from inside the vehicle. All five were just taken to the hospital as a precaution. No warning note was found on the truck. The man worked in a lab and had access to cyanide. Two containers were found in the truck Close to Home