CO method - Fliesenbourg
1. Preface
2. Unconventional suffocation without panic and pain.
3. My first attempt in the apartment/ideal quantity and material
4. My own measurements with CO meter
5. Every person reacts differently to CO
6. Accidental deaths with barbecue charcoal
7. Supplemental CO from formic acid or using second, delayed ignition?
8. The ideal shape of containers and grills
1. Preface
This article has been updated and perfected over time based on authentic experiences of various users who have repeatedly put their lives acutely at risk in the process. After all, no established research institute or university deals with such relevant ideas, which can only be created by affected people for their kind. Accordingly, this article together with its answers can be regarded without exaggeration as a mature quintessence concerning the pragmatic barbecue charcoal method, without, however, claiming to be absolutely complete. Of course, it is tedious to read this long thread completely, but it is definitely worth it, because it always comes up with new surprises and partly highly potent knowledge. Maybe you should consider it as a gift book and just skim all the banal answers to separate the wheat from the chaff.
2. Unconventional suffocation without panic and pain
In the past, it was often heard that sometimes whole families suffocated in their sleep just because the ventilation of their wood stove did not let through enough oxygen or the stove pipe was blocked. Yet the asphyxiation process with pure carbon monoxide (CO) begins completely painlessly, even while awake, without panic, shortness of breath, or irritation of the respiratory tract, as with other gases. Finally, CO has 325 times the binding capacity of oxygen to hemoglobin in the blood and displaces it at specific binding sites. In this way, even low concentrations of CO are literally sucked in, so that even 0.1% (1000 ppm) of this completely odorless gas in the air we breathe can have a lethal effect within 3 to 7 hours. But before that, one slides quite gently into a coma, whereby drowsiness, palpitations, ringing in the ears and possible headaches are still among the worst symptoms of poisoning, provided that the concentration increases only slowly and one does not sedate with tablets. As practice has proven a thousand times, there is no danger of explosion when imitating the lethal wood stove effect with charcoal, because the CO concentrations are in the range of a maximum of 1% and it can only become critical from 12.5%. It is also an old myth that CO is able to penetrate walls and ceilings.
The humane thing about this method is that the resulting internal asphyxiation cannot primarily be regarded as a product of oxygen deficiency in the breathing air, but merely as a consequence of a relatively low CO content in the air. If one now assumes a 0.6% CO concentration in suicide, then one suffocates from it despite a 20.4% oxygen concentration in the air, because precisely the few CO with its 325-fold binding force to hemoglobin blocks almost all oxygen there, which, however, has already reported oxygen saturation in the receptors beforehand, so that neither respiratory distress nor panic arise. Furthermore, it is primarily carbon dioxide (CO²) that induces panic attacks and the feeling of suffocation, whereas charcoal combustion produces only tolerable amounts. Even conventional asphyxiation due to a lack of oxygen in the air we breathe does not occur with this method, because even with an excess of charcoal, any combustion or incineration stops from about 10% oxygen in the air. But mountaineers in the Himalayas still "march" up eight-thousanders with as little as 9% oxygen.
3. My first attempt in the apartment/ideal quantity and material
After previous skepticism because of my seemingly unsuitable premises in an urban rental apartment, I tried said method in the fall of 2008 and must confess that it is easier to practice than previously thought. None of the 18 tenants in our 3-story house noticed anything when I heated 2 kg of charcoal in an old tin toolbox in my spacious living room on the 2nd floor for 45 minutes to white heat with the large windows and balcony door open. At the beginning this was done with massive flame formation by means of special ignition fluid (do not use gasoline or methylated spirits; it is best to use a commercially available clear petroleum distillate such as Grillstar, which is traded under various names). - After that period of time, when the glowing charcoal was covered with a white layer, one could now have put the tin box into the bedroom for the purpose of suicide, and then seal the keyhole and door slit with 5 cm wide tesa tape and lie down in bed - possibly with some alcohol and some sleeping pills - to "sleep". But a bathroom with a lounger or mattress is even better for this, to put the grill in the tub for the sake of absolute safety.
In the case of improvised containers such as tin boxes, baking trays or pots (if they are high, several smaller ventilation holes should be drilled in their lower third), it is essential to ensure good heat insulation at the bottom, for example in the form of pore stones at least 7.5 cm thick. Alcohol should be used only moderately in this method, because it dilates the finest blood vessels and thus could possibly counteract a hemoglobin blockade of the carbon monoxide, as experience at least vaguely suggests.
In terms of material, I favor plain barbecue charcoal as much as possible, since products containing brown coal and hard coal still release small amounts of unpleasant sulfur gas and also have somewhat less carbon for the purpose of optimal CO formation. Pressed charcoal briquettes could also possibly contain unpleasant accompanying substances, such as chemicals from painted or impregnated wood. Any smoke from barbecuing is caused either by materials containing brown or black coal, damp charcoal, unsuitable means of lighting or dripping fat. Of course, but also conditionally when lighting and preheating simple barbecue charcoal, which, however, ceases at the latest after the formation of a white layer.
Based on theoretical aspects, the first Internet free-death forums still recommended a charcoal quantity of 80 to 100 grams per cubic meter of room volume. According to the dualistic principle, this may have been good enough for a while as a provisional working hypothesis. But based on practical reality and molecular calculations, I now recommend at least 135 grams/m³, which allows maximum CO concentrations of 8000 to over 10000ppm.
Said 135 grams/m³ correspond to the threshold above which the oxygen content in the room is halved by complete incineration and any combustion process is already suffocated. An additional amount of charcoal would only make sense for angular or flat containers in which the material does not completely burn to ash due to unfavorable placement or layering. Or in case of a 3 to 4 hours time-delayed second ignition by means of a timer and a special electric ignition device, while one is already dead or unconscious due to the gas and/or sleeping pills. It may be that I subjectively overestimate the experience of bobbycar, who spoke of a massive irritation of his mucous membranes and respiratory tract with bleeding, because he took far more than 200 grams/m³ as well as 1.5 liters of wine plus aspirin tablets (which are known for stomach bleeding). The fact is that although the charcoal in the sealed death room no longer smokes, it still emits minute fine dust particles into the air, which on closer inspection are later found on walls, ceilings and furniture. Therefore, I advocate not using unnecessary amounts of charcoal in a suicide attempt.
4. Own measurements with CO meter
On July 9 and 12, 2009, I made two interesting experiments with my CO meter. This cheap little device (BG 20 from Trotec) is designed only up to 1000 ppm, but with its 4-digit display it is able to register a value of 9999, at least theoretically. After all, its sensors are also supposed to tolerate short-term overloads.
In the first experiment, I placed 2 kg of glowing barbecue charcoal in the well 14 m³ sealed bathroom, in which I breathed through a 2.30 m long hose measuring only 9 mm in inner diameter. (Caution with imitation, because the heavy CO² from breathing tends to accumulate in longer hoses and could thus cause CO² poisoning!) After 9 minutes of continuous increase, 500 ppm had already been reached, and after 16:10 minutes 1000 ppm. Now I left the room to enter it again after one hour with the air stopped. I could not believe my eyes, because within 20 seconds the instrument literally jumped from 0 to 6154 ppm and stayed at this high value. After that, however, it did not go back to zero, but showed the stable initial value of 210 in CO-free air. The sensitive sensors had thus taken damage. Nevertheless, in other tests (with a candle and small pieces of coal) the instrument gave the same stable results as before in undamaged condition. One only had to subtract 210 from it.
In my second attempt with the same amount of charcoal in the same room, I entered it - with the air held - only after an hour. In continuous jumps, the device now jumped to 1588 within a few seconds and remained there. 10 minutes later the same result, whereby once more it became obvious that with intact function of the device this value (the maximum, which the damaged sensors could still register) would have risen further. - Of course, I could have worked with lower amounts of carbon and then extrapolated. Others in this long thread have done so, thereby confirming my measurements. According to these, logical considerations and their extrapolations, it is quite possible to achieve CO values of over 10000 ppm using this method. - The room temperature during the experiments increased by an average of only 10 degrees. The measured values refer to a height of 30 cm above the floor, while the CO, which is 3 % lighter than air, was concentrated about
8% higher directly under my 2.50 m high ceiling.
5. Each person reacts differently to CO
Certainly, most probably about 2 dozen desperate people from this forum alone have already successfully gassed themselves by means of this method; some even in threes, as was evident in the case of Bronco1386. Wikipedia now writes that 1500 ppm carbon monoxide is already lethal within one hour (according to other reputable sources 1600 ppm in 60-90 minutes). However, this is only an average guideline value. It only indicates that at this concentration 50% of the test animals died after that time (LD 50 = lethal dose at 50%). When the last animal of the remainder would have died remains completely open. If the time of death of each individual mouse or rat had been determined exactly and the test had been continued until the death of all animals, the result could be graphically represented nicely by means of the Gaussian bell curve (until 31.12.01 it was shown on the back of the 10 DM bill). Then you would clearly see that most of the animals are in the middle, while the curve becomes flatter and flatter towards the two ends. At the very right end there would be those who died last. - Only in this way can one understand that perhaps one among 50, 100 or 200 can endure very high CO concentrations relatively unscathed for a long time, because the individual resistance or half-life to the gas is particularly striking. Normally, the latter is 2 to 6.5 hours, which, however, is certainly not the only criterion in the reaction to the gas.
Although it is quite possible to reach CO concentrations of more than 10 000 ppm with the charcoal method, Abschaum survived even 270 grams of charcoal per cubic meter for 3 hours without even becoming unconscious (he took neither alcohol nor sleeping pills, otherwise he would certainly have lasted longer and meanwhile he might have died after 12 or 15 hours, if CO² and lack of oxygen had worked as well as CO). Unfortunately, before his departure to Mexico at the end of April 2010, he deleted all posts here for security reasons and also had his account deactivated. But he answered my questions beforehand promptly and very credibly. He was a robust nature, which even 250 ml chloroform in a sealed bag around the neck could not cloud the consciousness.
But others, like Terramov, Sklave or Tristan2 have survived a suicide attempt with charcoal without any problems with the usual ailments, but without irreversible damage. The latter, however, then died - according to a call from a police officer to Maiken - in a second attempt only 24 hours later, but in which he took more charcoal and sealed better. - I would like to assert here nothing with absolute certainty and also take over no guarantee, but in contrast to the sweeping, official representation of the danger of CO, according to those and other practical experiences here at least not few things point to the fact that one with application of this method either dies, or survives however with a relatively high probability without irreversible damage. However, there are also reports in the medical literature of various nerve damage that can occur in rare cases even weeks after CO poisoning. Regardless of this, however, it can be stated with some certainty that said animal experiments are not entirely representative of humans because they most likely tolerate more CO than mice or rats.
6. Unintentional deaths with barbecue charcoal
Finally, I refer to 2 cases from Germany, where said CO death was not the product of deliberate planning, but coincidence and arbitrariness. For example, on May 12, 2008, the well-known ARD presenter Miriam Christmann and her partner died of CO poisoning after they had, for incomprehensible reasons, moved their barbecue grill with the nearly burned charcoal from the terrace into the bedroom (!).
Who knows how many disguised suicides have already been committed by pensioners in their garden arbor, or whether the two had not deliberately put on some charcoal. The bare input of the name of that moderator with Google reveals from different sources more about it.
The second case occurred already in 2007 near Berlin, where a 72-year-old man and his one year younger wife put their not yet completely extinguished grill only into the garden arbor, in order to heat up the space with residual warmth. They too were found dead the next day. In 2007, Brad Delp, then 55 years old, singer of the "Band Boston", died in the USA from deliberate CO poisoning by means of barbecue charcoal.
7. Supplementary CO from formic acid or by means of second, time-delayed ignition?
For the purpose of supplementary optimization of the method, I also looked into the production of CO from formic and sulfuric acid. After a trial with objective measurement, however, I can only advise against this, but for perfectionists (perhaps everyone should become one, at least for his last act) I can recommend supplementary CO from barbecue charcoal with time-delayed automatic ignition.
8. The ideal shape of containers and grills
The optimal "container" for our purpose is round and hemispherical, slightly shallower and stretched if the volume is large (unless the ventilation is good), so that the stratification cannot become too high. If the container is too shallow (such as disposable grills), it lacks the heat-addition effect of stratified material, so it is very unlikely that all the charcoal pieces will glow equally and ultimately burn to ash. If it is too high, such as a special cooking vessel, many small air holes should be drilled in the lower third to provide enough oxygen. Narrow, long containers are also unfavorable because they usually have corners and/or the addition effect of a compact mass is weakened. - When buying a grill, be sure to take something to measure and calculate to determine its capacity. To accommodate a kilo of common barbecue charcoal, the container needs at least 3.2 liters.
