originally written in 2014
NOTE the dates within the footnotes, starting in 1963
17 articles, referenced, herein
Nitrogen Gas; Flawless, proven, peaceful, unrestricted method of execution
"(Dr. Phillip) Nitschke called (nitrogen gas hypoxia suicides) "flawless" . . . Inhaling the pure nitrogen, patients lose consciousness immediately (in approximately 12 seconds) and die a few minutes later." ". . . extremely quick . . . no drugs . . . reliable, peaceful, available . . . " (1).
No panic nor suffocation effect with nitrogen (1,2), except with execution, panic and anxiety are expected.
"Close contact with an enclosed inert gas (as nitrogen) is lethal because it flushes oxygen from the body, but released into the open air, it quickly disperses, and is safe for others." (2), especially in larger rooms, as previously used for lethal injection.
A sealed gas chamber is not required - just an oxygen mask and a secured prisoner.======
"Preliminary (human) experiments (1963) in which the subjects over-ventilated with nitrogen (gas) for various periods showed that unconsciousness supervened if the duration of this procedure exceeded 16-17 sec. In the majority of these experiments, therefore, the period of over-ventilation with nitrogen was limited to 16 sec." (3) " . . . it was considered that the degree of hypoxia induced by over-ventilation with nitrogen for 15- 16 sec was within acceptable limits for resting subjects." (3).
1)"Exit International's euthanasia device", Euthanasia device, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthanasia_device#Exit_International.27s_euthanasia_device, viewed/copied 3/13/2014.
Nitrogen Gas; Flawless, proven, peaceful, unrestricted method of execution
Dudley Sharp, independent researcher, death penalty expert, former opponent, 832-439-2113, CV at bottom
Preface
How could I have called it a proven execution method (in 2014)? Easily.
Idiotically, many in the media/academia say methods are untested, as if we would use humans to test out methods of execution, prior to executing the guilty murderers.
If you consider that stupid, you are correct. Was media/academia that stupid prior to the first firing squad and guillotine? If reflecting today, likely.
For example, many media/academia has stated "the untested drugs", about various drugs, used within lethal injection executions, when the lethal overdosing effects of the drugs have been widely, known and recorded (9), often, for decades.
The lethal overdosing effects of those drugs, just as with nitrogen gas, do not, all of a sudden, change when going from accidental or suicide deaths to executions. Obvious. Media/academia?
Critical thinking appears no longer a journalistic/academic requirement, often, as with research and fact checking and vetting that research.
No surprise, so goes nitrogen gas.
We have 60 years of evidence (1-5), as to how quickly and peacefully persons die with nitrogen, with suicides and industrial accidents, in non-sealed spaces, as well as how quickly persons will pass out, within an experiment, using a tube to inhale nitrogen gas.
Executions will be are with a sealed mask, no oxygen, which will cause death, even more quickly.
It is incontrovertible that the effects will be the same, only quicker to unconsciousness and death, than with an unsealed room/space.
What will be different is that the murderer will know they are being executed, for murdering innocents, and and such their anxiety level will be very high.
Obvious . . . and the media/academia "missed" it, on purpose. Of course.
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Very detailed rebuttal
Nitrogen Gas: More Anti-death Penalty Nonsense
https://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2025/12/to-dr.html
https://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2025/12/to-dr.html
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"(Dr. Phillip) Nitschke called (nitrogen gas hypoxia suicides) "flawless" . . . Inhaling the pure nitrogen, patients lose consciousness immediately (in approximately 12 seconds) and die a few minutes later." ". . . extremely quick . . . no drugs . . . reliable, peaceful, available . . . " (1).
No panic nor suffocation effect with nitrogen (1,2), except with execution, panic and anxiety are expected.
"Close contact with an enclosed inert gas (as nitrogen) is lethal because it flushes oxygen from the body, but released into the open air, it quickly disperses, and is safe for others." (2), especially in larger rooms, as previously used for lethal injection.
A sealed gas chamber is not required - just an oxygen mask and a secured prisoner.
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Media Disaster: Nitrogen Hypoxia:
Is Dr. Zivot an ignoramus, a liar, confused, or . . . ?
https://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2023/11/media-disaster-nitrogen-hypoxiais-dr.html
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Additional Experiment and Evidence
"Preliminary (human) experiments (1963) in which the subjects over-ventilated with nitrogen (gas) for various periods showed that unconsciousness supervened if the duration of this procedure exceeded 16-17 sec. In the majority of these experiments, therefore, the period of over-ventilation with nitrogen was limited to 16 sec." (3) " . . . it was considered that the degree of hypoxia induced by over-ventilation with nitrogen for 15- 16 sec was within acceptable limits for resting subjects." (3).
No pain was reported.
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Nitrogen Plastic Bag Suicide A Case Report
The above was performed by a tube, as opposed to a chamber, with animal euthanasia. Human executions are, most likely, to be performed by a mask which, because of control, will have results somewhat quicker than those using a tube or chamber, with the execution exception, that the murderer may hold their breath and fight against their restrains, as long as possible, prior to several deep breaths, within a mask full of nitrogen gas, followed by unconsciousness.
It appears that nearly every case of accidental death and/or unconsciousness, via nitrogen gas, is close to instantaneous (4,5), as the subjects seemed to have become unconscious so quickly, as to not be able to extricate themselves from the situation (4,5), just as described in the human experiment, above (1), with the exception that many of the accidental deaths and injuries are in the equivalent of chambers, not a mask, as contemplated with execution.
"You will not recognize you're in trouble in time to take action to save yourself," states CSB (Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board) Investigation Manager Bill Hoyle" (4).
"An oxygen concentration below 19 1/2 percent is considered unsafe for workers; when the oxygen content drops to about 8 or 10 percent, John Vorderbrueggen PE, a lead investigator for CSB, "you don't have much of a chance." (4)
Oxygen concentration will be 0% within the mask, during a nitrogen gas execution. The murderer knew they were in trouble, the minute they were caught.
"If pure nitrogen is being breathed, the alveolar oxygen content from the previously breathed air decreases very fast." "After a few breaths, the alveo-lar spaces become completely filled with pure nitrogen, and hence, the fatal asphyxia of the victim develop." (5)
"According to CSB, during that decade (1992-2002) there were 85 nitrogen (gas) asphyxiation incidents, resulting in 80 fatalities and 50 injuries." (4)
Confirming, again, how sudden this can occur: "Approximately 10 percent of (nitrogen gas) fatalities from the CSB data were co-workers attempting to rescue fallen colleagues in confined spaces, . . ." (4)
"When sedation was omitted, (animal euthanasia with) nitrogen was quantitatively as effective as pentobarbital alone. An adequate flow of nitrogen is essential and the concentration of oxygen in the euthanasia chamber must be monitored.?" (6).
Very different than the mask, contemplated with human executions.
Nitrogen gas euthanasia works better for some animals than others (7). Nitrogen is not recommended for dogs (8). Pre sedation increases the time to unconsciousness and death (8).
FYI, homo sapiens are different.
As all animal experiments are done in chambers (6,7,8), it is, considerably different, than an execution procedure with humans, which contemplates using a mask.
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Media Disaster: Nitrogen Hypoxia & Scientific American
https://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2022/09/media-disaster-death-penalty-scientific.html
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NOTE: The botched execution rate with lethal injection is about 1%, not 7%, as any physician should know (9). The media does not know, because they refuse to fact check and vet.
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Nitrogen Induced Hypoxia as a Form of Capital Punishment, Michael P. Copeland, J.D. Thorn Parr, M.S. Christine Papas, J.D., Ph.D. East Central University , 6/08/2018,
or
Am J Forensic Med Pathol 2013;00: 00Y00
You must register
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600+ pro death penalty quotes from murder victim's families &
3300+ from some of the greatest thinkers in history
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1)"Exit International's euthanasia device", Euthanasia device, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthanasia_device#Exit_International.27s_euthanasia_device, viewed/copied 3/13/2014.
2) "Inert gas asphyxiation", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inert_gas_asphyxiation,
viewed/copied 3/13/2014
also see
International Humanitarian Hypoxia Project
International Humanitarian Hypoxia Project
Is There A More Humane Way To Kill?, Lawrence Gist II,
6/22/09
http://express-press-release.net/62/Is%20There%20A%20More%20Humane%20Way%20To%20Kill.php
http://express-press-release.net/62/Is%20There%20A%20More%20Humane%20Way%20To%20Kill.php
Creque, S.A. "Killing with kindness – capital punishment by
nitrogen asphyxiation" National Review.
1995-9-11.
6) "Euthanasia of Small Animals with Nitrogen; Comparison with Intravenous Pentobarbital",
John P. Quine, William Buckingham, and Leo Strunin, Canadian Verterinary Journal, Can Vet J. 1988 Sep; 29(9): 724–726.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1680841/?page=3
9) Rebuttal: Botched Executions
3) "The effect of brief profound hypoxia upon the arterial and venous oxygen tensions in man", J. ERNSTING, J. Phy8iol. (1963), 169, pp. 292-311.
4) Nitrogen: The Silent Killer, Josh Cable, EHS Today (Environment Health and Safety), Sep 20, 2006,
5) Suicidal Nitrogen Inhalation by use of Scuba Full-Face Diving Mask. Journal of Forensic Sciences 58(5) · July 2013, DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.12239 · Source: PubMed https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253647263_Suicidal_Nitrogen_Inhalation_by_use_of_Scuba_Full-Face_Diving_Mask
6) "Euthanasia of Small Animals with Nitrogen; Comparison with Intravenous Pentobarbital",
John P. Quine, William Buckingham, and Leo Strunin, Canadian Verterinary Journal, Can Vet J. 1988 Sep; 29(9): 724–726.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1680841/?page=3
7) AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals: 2013 Edition, pg 23-24,,
https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Documents/euthanasia.pdf
8) "Methods for the Euthanasia of Dogs and Cats: Comparison and Recommendation, pg 18, World Society for the Protection of Animals,
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Victim Services
Research, w/sources, w/fact checking/vetting & critical thinking, as required of everyone in a public policy debate and which rebut all anti-death penalty claims.
The media/academic norm is to use anti-death penalty material, refuse to fact check or vet it or use critical thinking and avoid all pro-death penalty research and experts or to pretend that is the case. How will you know that is true? Read on:
a) The Death Penalty: Justice & Saving More Innocents
and
b) Students, Academics & Journalists: Death Penalty Research
(7 pro-death penalty experts are included)
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Partial CV
