Charcoal-burning suicide

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For information on methods of suicide intervention, see Suicide prevention. For information on methods of suicide, see Suicide methods.

Charcoal-burning suicide is suicide by burning charcoal in a closed room or area. Death occurs by carbon monoxide poisoning.

Mechanism of action

Main article: Carbon monoxide poisoning

As the charcoal burns, the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO), produced by the incomplete combustion of carbon, gradually increases. CO concentrations of as little as one part per thousand can be fatal if inhaled over a period of two hours.[1]

History

One of the earliest known suicides by inhalation of charcoal fumes may have been that of

The Wandering Jew (1844).[3]

Incidents

Two students of

Su'ao, Yilan in July 1994. They left a note that did not state the reason for killing themselves clearly, even though that it was suspected in some mass media that they were a lesbian couple.[4]

A middle-aged woman in

China, Taiwan and Japan.[8]

Starting in 2003, authorities in Japan have seen a series of group suicides committed by strangers who met in suicide chat rooms online. Such a group will typically use sleeping pills and charcoal stoves in a van parked in a remote area.[9]

On 26 July 2006, 16-year-old Brazilian musician Vinícius Gageiro Marques, known by his alias Yoñlu, locked himself in his bathroom with two barbecue grills, and posted on a forum asking for help killing himself. While some people in the thread pleaded him to stop, others gave him the advice he wanted. A Canadian online friend of Marques's learned of the suicide attempt and called the Brazilian authorities. Although the police and paramedics were able to enter the apartment and clear the smoke, Marques was pronounced dead after multiple attempts at resuscitation.[10]

Brad Delp, the lead singer of the American rock band Boston, killed himself using this method on 9 March 2007.[11]

Kim Jong-hyun, a member of the South Korean idol group Shinee, was found unconscious in a Gangnam residential hotel on 18 December 2017. He was later pronounced dead, aged 27. The police ultimately ruled his death a suicide through the earlier text messages sent to his sister, after the discovery of charcoal briquette remnants in a frying pan at the scene.[12][13]

Du Yuwei, an ex-member of GNZ48, ended her life on 16 October 2018 using this method.[14]

On 26 May 2019, Goo Hara, a former member of South Korean idol group Kara, attempted suicide by burning charcoal. After being removed from where she was found unconscious in a smoke-filled room and given hyperbaric oxygen treatment, she regained consciousness two days later. She subsequently issued a public apology for causing concern amongst fans, a preventive measure against the Werther effect in South Korea and Japan. Hara later died by suicide in November 2019, though the method of her suicide remains publicly undisclosed.[15]

Lee Sun-kyun, an award-winning South Korean actor, committed suicide on 27 December 2023 using this method.[16]

On 2 February 2024, Australian–Hong Kong actor Gregory Charles Rivers committed suicide using this method.

References

  1. ^ "Carbon Monoxide and Health Effects". The Engineering Toolbox. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  2. S2CID 233205099
    .
  3. ^ "Father Arsene did cut his stick; that evening, he and his old wife suffocated themselves with charcoal." Ch 3. The Carouse Full Text
  4. ISBN 9789576636691
  5. PMID 15630126
    .
  6. ^ a b "Media coverage boosts 'charcoal burning' suicides". 28 February 2003. Archived from the original on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  7. PMID 12019670
    .
  8. ^ Parry, Simon (9 January 2005). "Taking the easy way out?". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ Samuels, David (1 May 2007). "Let's Die Together". The Atlantic. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  10. ^ Mendes, Viviane (30 June 2013). "Breve história de Yoñlu" [Brief history of Yoñlu]. Domicílio Literário (in Portuguese). Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  11. ^ "Brad Delp: Details Emerge About His Tragic Suicide". Guitar World. 27 April 2007. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  12. ^ Chen, Joyce (18 December 2017). "SHINee Singer, K-pop Star Kim-Jonghyun Dead at 27 of Possible Suicide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  13. ^ Wang, Amy. "K-pop fans 'devastated' after SHINee singer Jonghyun dies in possible suicide". Washington Post. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  14. ^ "又一女星患抑郁症离世，曾被指插足黄嘉伟婚姻，年仅19岁". www.yule.sohu.com (in Chinese). 20 October 2018. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  15. ^ "'섹션TV' 소방관 "구하라, 발견 당시 방에 연기 가득"". YTN (in Korean). 30 May 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  16. ^ 'Parasite' actor Lee Sun-kyun found dead amid investigation over drug allegations
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charcoal-burning_suicide&oldid=1210451919"