Charcoal-burning suicide
Charcoal-burning suicide is a new suicide method invented in Hong Kong in 1998. The method becomes popular and spreads to other South China, Taiwan, overseas Chinese and Japanese communities.
A person committing suicide burns charcoal in closed room. The oxygen in the air of the room gradually extincts as the charcoal burns. In the meantime, incomplete combustion of carbon produces carbon monoxide which combines with haemoglobin hindering the delivery of oxygen in the body. The person will end in carbon monoxide poisoning or Hypoxia.
In November 1998, a middle-age woman committed suicide with this method in bedroom. She probably invented this method with her chemical engineering background. After details highly exposed by mass media, many attempted and committed suicide in this way. Meanwhile Hong Kong was suffered from economic depression in 1997. Many perons in-debt and unemployed ended their life this way. Charcoal-burning became third major suicide killer in two months and second in 2001. The method was highly publicised and spreads to mainland China, Taiwan and Japan.
The method is described as painless and easy camparing with other methods. Unlike jumping from a high-rised building or cutting with knife, this method does not need to overcome the fear. To relieve the possible suffering of suffocation, ones might take drug and alcohol.
The saved suicides usually need intensive care. Their brains might be damaged and hampered their bodies.