An Overview of Hydrogen Sulfide Suicides Based on Police Data in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
نویسندگان
1 Department of Regional Emergency Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan[Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan ]
2 Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
3 Department of Forensic Medicine, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan
4 Department of Forensic Medicine, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan
5 Department of Regional Emergency Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan[Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan ]
6 Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan [Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan]
7 Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
doi
10.22038/apjmt.2016.7672چکیده
Background: In Japan, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) suicides have been a serious issue in recent years. We previously studied H2S suicides using hospital-based data. However, most cases did not involve ambulance transfer to the hospital because the victims of H2S suicide were usually found dead at the scene. H2S suicide-related data elucidating an overview of the patients were therefore not available. To clarify the mechanism of poisoning, we obtained H2S suicide victim data from the Yamagata prefectural police office.Methods: We analyzed all H2S suicide-related data available from the Yamagata prefectural police office.Results: In this study, a total of 41 cases (29 men and 12 women) were included for analysis. We found that the number of H2S suicides reached a peak in April 2008, with 14 cases being reported, followed by 10 in 2009, 10 in 2010, 3 in 2011, and 4 in 2012. The mean age of the victims was 31.8 ± 12.2 years (range: 18–77 years), and the median age was 28 years. Sources of H2S gas included cars (22 cases; 54%), rooms (6 cases; 15%), and bathrooms (5 cases; 12%). We also identified several cases of a novel suicide method, wherein H2S was generated in a plastic garbage bag, after which the victim would put their head or body into the bag.Conclusion: Most cases of H2S poisoning are not registered at hospital, therefore,the data on these victims need to analysis from police office data. H2S-related suicides are known to occur in confined places, such as those in cars or toilets; however a new form of H2S suicide using a sealed plastic bag is in the increase, possibly due to widespread sharing on the internet.
