Washington lawmakers consider banning lethal chemical after Amazon sales linked to youth suicides

Washington state legislators are considering a bill that would prohibit the sale of highly concentrated sodium nitrite, a chemical compound that has been linked to multiple youth suicides across the United States.

The legislative push follows a KING 5 investigation revealing Amazon continued to sell the product despite repeated warnings about its misuse. KING 5 has confirmed at least 30 cases nationwide where young people died by suicide using sodium nitrite purchased through Amazon’s platform. The chemical, which has no practical household applications, remained available on the site despite numerous appeals from bereaved parents.

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Representative Sharlett Mena (D-Tacoma), the bill’s primary sponsor, emphasized the legislation’s intent to establish a clear precedent.

“We’re setting a standard here and we’re not going to allow this product to be sold. We’re going to make sure that we’re removing these sorts of easily accessible, harmful products,” Mena said.

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