suicide by gas - how would it have worked in 1946?

[doeraymee]

Does anyone know how this works? I want to have my main character attempt suicide by gas poisoning (carbon monoxide?). I understand it doesn't have a smell. Or does it? and how long would it take before it would kill someone? I want to have him rescued before he dies. Any other technical stuff I should know about would also be appreciated.
Also, this takes place in 1946 in Canada, so would the technology have been different then?
thanks!

[veinglory]

Assuming it is CO form car exhaust the method hasn't changed. There is a slight smell due to impurities and survivors will be extremely ill, nauseus with a severe headache.

[pdr]

if it fits your plot it might be easier to use domestic gas which did smell a little.

During the 40s it was the most common method of suicide or murder dressed up as suicide.

[Evaine]

The old-fashioned "sticking your head in the gas oven" method? I think they changed the type of gas supplied to domestic appliances because of that type of suicide.

I have no idea what was being advertised, but there was an advert on TV about 30 years ago, showing unsuccessful methods of suicide. For instance, man jumps out of window. Voiceover says "A ground floor window is Not Recommended". I'm sure he tried putting his head in the oven, too, but it was an electric one!

[doeraymee]

I was thinking of domestic gas, indoor gas. Sorry, should have been clearer. I seem to remember seeing somethign in a movie where the person turns on the gas from the heater (the old rads that stand on the floor and come up about waist high). And then shutting all the windows.
My Main Character has a car but he doesn't have a garage so the car thing wouldn't work.

[veinglory]

For domestic gas in that era the oven would be easiest, you can just start the gas without lighting it. It is possible with some heaters but the outlet tends to be a lot smaller.

[Scarlett_156]

When I was in my 20s I lived for a few years in a really shotty, run-down carriage house that had everything wrong with it. *looks around, realizes that centuries later she lives in shotty, run-down carriage house, and feels weird* Heh...

Anyway, something went wrong with the furnace in that little house and for about a week I was living in an atmosphere with a high degree of carbon monoxide. I COULD smell it, but it wasn't like a definite smell like stove gas. I thought it was maybe the smell of car exhaust from the street. My cat didn't want to come in the house and kept trying to get me to go outside (bless her heart!). I couldn't wake up well in the morning and I felt queasy a lot. When I sat outside I did feel better.

It makes your skin ruddy too and your face looks puffy. I was considering going to the doctor to find out what was wrong. (Since I felt sick when I woke up in the morning, I was rather frightened at the time that I might be pregnant.) After a few days a friend of mine stopped by and realized right away that something was very wrong. The landlord's reply was: "It's an old house, things are going to break." We called the gas supply company and a guy came over. It turned out that the exhaust pipe leading to the roof was rusted and had caved in, blocking the carbon monoxide from getting out, so it was coming into the house every time the furnace came on.

After a few days I felt fine again. RIP millions of brain cells, though...

Carbon monoxide is a time-tested way to off yourself, but it takes a long time and is not reliable, in my opinion. The probability that you'll end up in a nursing home instead is about 25% or greater. (Ask ICU and ECF staff who their LEAST favorite patients are...) If I wanted to die, REALLY wanted to, I would take a narcotics overdose via injection. Naturally your character may not have access to street drugs or may be afraid of needles-- which I think is kind of ironic, but it is a factor in a lot of suicides that even though the person WANTS to die, he or she can't stomach one or the other method because of squeamishness or fear, lol! The man I found last year who had killed himself had shot himself in the chest with hunting rifle, and I'm pretty sure he had first thought to shoot himself in the mouth because he had taken his denture out and put it on his car seat-- he didn't like the idea of all those denture fragments going up into his head, I guess! Plus it might have kept him from dying...? dunno, but it was quite macabre. Poor guy.

The gas stove method is not reliable because if you keep your head in the stove long enough to pass out then you could fall and your head won't be in the stove anymore. Newer gas stoves I think you can't do that with anyway.

Sorry for rambling. I hope this was helpful!

[doeraymee]

I'm starting to think that maybe there are two kinds of gas poisoning: Carbonmoxide (does not smell) and another, the kind more a gas oven (does smell). I'm leaning toward the gas oven because this is the kind my MC has access to.
Hmmm.

[pdr]

that a gas heater or oven could be used.

This is a public board so I want to be careful.

Apparently the person locked and sealed the room door and window cracks with parcel tape, towels, draft stoppers whatever, then most people took a large dose of sleeping pills or aspirins, and turned on the gas.

PM me for gruesome details if you need more!

[davidthompson]

The gas used for burning in homes (lamps, ovens, etc.), which was high in carbon monoxide and therefore best for suicide, was gas manufactured from coal. Today it generally has been replaced by natural gas from wells, which contains less CO and is therefore less effective for suicide.

Here's some information on the gases in Britain: http://www.popcenter.org/learning/60Steps/index.cfm?stepNum=9 (scroll down to the paragraph headed "Suicide and Opportunity.")

The key to "suicide by oven" would be finding out when the same changes occurred in whatever part of Canada you're using as a setting. I know manufactured gas from coal was typical in the U.S. in the 19th century, and has been replaced by natural gas today, but unfortunately don't know when the change occurred either here or in Canada. :(

[pdr]

that natural gas wasn't used until the 60s in Canada. I was living in Prairie Canada in the late 60s and changes were made to my gas furnace then.

But it could well be that Toronto or Vancouver made changes from coal gas to natural earlier.

Check those facts!

[BottomlessCup]

Carbon monoxide poisoning makes your blood look bright, cherry red.

[Willowmound]

Gas for cooking isn't carbon monoxide. CO doesn't burn.

[rtilryarms]

Carbon monoxide poisoning makes your blood look bright, cherry red.

In fact survivors' whole body will be bright red when they are rescued. They look sunburnt. I have seen it. I understand that it takes about 50 breaths of fresh air for every breath of CO they breath.

[Kentuk]

Suggest a kerosene heater inadequate to cope with Canadian winter. Plenty of people die accidently that way.

[doeraymee]

Davidthompson:
thanks! that article is really useful. I will just check with my city and see if we were still using coal oil then.

Thanks to everyone else for your responses too.