Editor’s note: This story mentions suicide. If you know someone in crisis, resources are available here. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the national crisis hotline at 988.
Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a bill Monday restricting the sale of a lethal chemical used in dozens of deaths by suicide.
Tyler’s Law, named in honor of Tyler Schmidt, a 15-year-old boy from Camas, Clark County, who died by ingesting the chemical, bans the sale of sodium nitrite in concentrations over 10%. The chemical, sold as a powder, is used at low levels of purity as a meat preservative, but in high concentrations it can kill.
Amazon shoppers used to be able to buy the chemical in 99% concentrations. As of March, there were ten lawsuits filed against Amazon by 28 families who lost loved ones who used sodium nitrite to die by suicide. They alleged the company continued selling the chemical despite knowing of its misuse for suicide.
Tyler’s law carries a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for a first violation and up to $1 million for subsequent violations.
Amazon voluntarily stopped selling sodium nitrite in 99% concentrations in October 2022. The company didn’t admit any wrongdoing, maintained the sales were legal and that it couldn’t be held responsible for customers’ intentional misuse of the chemical.
House Bill 1209 takes effect immediately. It passed in both the House and the Senate overwhelmingly, with bipartisan support.
Sellers must also now label sodium nitrite products, “WARNING DANGER: Deadly if ingested. If ingested, seek immediate medical attention for intravenous administration of methylene blue. Ingestion of sodium nitrite, even in small quantities, causes severe methemoglobinemia, extreme pain, and imminent death. Keep out of reach of children.”
Washington is now the fourth state to limit the sale of sodium nitrite, following California, Colorado and New York.
Legislation to limit the sale of the lethal chemical made progress at the federal level, passing the U.S. House of Representatives before stalling in the Senate last year.
Editor’s note: While The Seattle Times did not name the chemical in earlier stories out of an abundance of caution, it is doing so now because the chemical has recently been named in legislation and widely shared in public hearings.
Seattle Times staff reporter Lauren Rosenblatt contributed to this story.