School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia.
School of Biomedicine Level 2 Helen Mayo North , The University of Adelaide, Frome Road, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia.
Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2024 Sep;20(3):863-871. doi: 10.1007/s12024-024-00810-x. Epub 2024 Apr 11.
The most prevalent method of carbon monoxide (CO) suicide is inhalation of vehicle exhaust (VE). However, a new method of CO suicide has recently emerged involving charcoal burning (CB) in a confined space to produce fatal CO levels. This method has been reported from countries in Asia, associated with economic instability and media reporting of high-profile celebrity cases. The current study was undertaken to analyze rates and characteristics of CB suicides in South Australia (SA) for comparison with respect to their characteristics and scene, autopsy and toxicology findings.
A search was undertaken for all intentional fatal carbon monoxide poisonings in SA between 2000 and 2019. Collected variables included age, sex, cause of death, location of death, decedent histories, scene, autopsy and toxicology findings and manner of death. Statistical analyses were performed using R (version 4.2.3).
There was a significant decrease in VE suicides (p < 0.05) and a significant increase in CB suicides (p < 0.001) over the 20-year period. Those who used CB were found to be, on average, between 1.5 and 15.8 years younger than those who used VE (p = 0.017). The risk factors for CB suicide included psychological/psychiatric conditions and financial problems, while VE suicides were associated with a history of physical problems and contact with the legal system. External and internal autopsy findings were consistent with the literature.
CB suicide is perceived to be widely accessible and painless and is therefore becoming a popular suicide method. Monitoring future trends will be important to determine whether intervention is required.
一氧化碳（CO）自杀最常见的方法是吸入车辆尾气（VE）。然而，最近出现了一种新的 CO 自杀方法，即在密闭空间内燃烧木炭（CB）以产生致命的 CO 水平。这种方法已在亚洲国家报告，与经济不稳定和媒体对知名名人案例的报道有关。本研究旨在分析南澳大利亚（SA）的 CB 自杀率和特征，以便与他们的特征和现场、尸检和毒理学发现进行比较。
对 2000 年至 2019 年期间在南澳大利亚发生的所有故意致命一氧化碳中毒进行了搜索。收集的变量包括年龄、性别、死因、死亡地点、死者病史、现场、尸检和毒理学发现以及死亡方式。使用 R（版本 4.2.3）进行统计分析。
在 20 年期间，VE 自杀人数显著减少（p<0.05），而 CB 自杀人数显著增加（p<0.001）。使用 CB 的人比使用 VE 的人平均年轻 1.5 至 15.8 岁（p=0.017）。CB 自杀的危险因素包括心理/精神状况和财务问题，而 VE 自杀则与身体问题和与法律系统接触有关。外部和内部尸检发现与文献一致。
CB 自杀被认为广泛易得且无痛，因此成为一种流行的自杀方法。监测未来的趋势将很重要，以确定是否需要干预。
