Don't know how old the car they were using was, but back in the 1970's, cars were mandated to start using catalytic converters, which drastically reduced the amount of pollutants exiting the exhaust, including CO. Still, people have died via CO from car exhaust. It's just harder now and there are much more effective ways to produce CO. Honestly, they were some of the lucky ones since they had access to barbiturates, arguably one of, if not the best, ways to go.
In reality, suicide by carbon monoxide from car exhaust was used well beyond the 1970s and is still attempted today, as reported in recent news cases. The mandatory introduction of catalytic converters in Europe only came in 1992 with the Euro 1 regulation, so in the 1970s and 1980s, the majority of cars on the road did NOT have them. Additionally, even after their introduction, non-catalyzed cars continued to circulate for many years, and even today, this method is still used, although it is less effective than in the past. So, the idea that carbon monoxide was already 'too diluted' in the 1970s is not entirely accurate.
The fundamental point is that in a suicide using combined methods, if one doesn't work, the other takes over. In some cases, both may act together, making one redundant, but the purpose of combining methods is precisely to ensure that if one fails, the other still guarantees the outcome.
Apropos, even modern cars with catalytic converters do not guarantee survival. In fact, I bring up this case, like many others that occur frequently. Despite environmental regulations having reduced carbon monoxide (CO) emissions in modern vehicles, fatal incidents from inhaling exhaust fumes still happen. For example, in March 2024, a young couple was found dead in a garage in Secondigliano, Naples, due to CO poisoning from their car with the engine running. (ilfattoquotidiano.it) This incident highlights that even with modern vehicles equipped with catalytic converters, in enclosed and unventilated spaces, emissions can still accumulate to lethal levels.
Ad uccidere i due ragazzi sarebbe stato il gas di scarico dell'auto o di una vecchia stufa
www.ilfattoquotidiano.it
A few months after the death of the young couple in Secondigliano, the boy's father, Alfredo Nocerino, also took his own life in the same garage and using the same method, inhaling the exhaust fumes from his car. (tg24.sky.it) This latest case demonstrates that, despite modern catalytic converters, the accumulation of carbon monoxide in enclosed spaces can still be fatal, debunking the idea that today's vehicles make this method ineffective.
Leggi su Sky TG24 l'articolo Fidanzati morti nel garage a Secondigliano, il padre si toglie la vita nello stesso box
tg24.sky.it
known for claiming to be the legendary Count of Saint-Germain, was found dead in a Renault 5 alongside his partner, Paula Loos. It was a planned suicide: the couple ingested barbiturates and connected a hose to the car's exhaust to asphyxiate themselves with carbon monoxide.
