Albanese government urged to restrict purchase of chemical compound used in suicide deaths

The federal government has been urged to restrict the sale of a chemical compound 52 Victorians have used to take their own lives, after an 18-year-old man died after ingesting the compound he bought online.

There have been 52 suicide deaths involving the chemical compound that The Australian has decided not to name.

The federal government has been urged to restrict the sale of a chemical compound 52 Victorians have used to take their own lives, after an 18-year-old man died after ingesting the compound he bought on Amazon Marketplace.

Nathan Greenwood, who suffered from anxiety and depression, and struggled with stress from the lengthy Covid lockdowns in Melbourne, died in September 2021 after he bought online and consumed a chemical compound The Australian has decided not to name.

Greenwood had seen a doctor from about 2013 for mental health concerns up until his last telehealth appointment in August 2021, where he reported his anxiety levels were “stable” despite facing a six-month wait to see a psychologist at another clinic.

On the day of his death, Greenwood called triple 0 about 3.30am requesting an ambulance and informed the emergency operator he had taken 30g of the inorganic compound with water.

Police later found a container in Greenwood’s desk drawer with the name of the chemical compound misspelt and an Amazon Marketplace receipt from August. Greenwood’s father also found correspondence between his son, who he described as a “great guy with a good personality”, and an internet forum that discusses suicide.

State coroner John Cain, who delivered the findings into Greenwood’s death, noted that the worldwide number of reported suicides involving the chemical compound had dramatically increased and that in Victoria there had been 52 deaths caused by the inorganic compound from 2017 to 2023.

Its appearance is similar to table salt, and the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code permits its use in food including meat, poultry and game products. It is also used as an anti-corrosive and has a precursor in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, dyes and pesticides.

Correspondence with a suicide forum was found on the young Melbourne man’s computer after his death.

Mr Cain said awareness of the suicide method had been largely driven by pro-euthanasia organisation Exit International, whose South Australian founder, Dr Philip Nitschke, is also a co-author of a banned book that details end-of-life strategies.

“The CPU (Coroners Prevention Unit) noted that where the (compound) could be identified, the sources were primarily online vendors, but were otherwise diverse, including food stores, chemical and laboratory supply companies, and private sellers,” he said.

“The data also indicates that in 23 of the 52 suicides the deceased researched the suicide method.

Philip Nitschke. Picture: Jerad Williams

“The most frequently mentioned were Exit International and (Dr Nitschke’s book) and other sources included the Sanctioned Suicide online forum and the Suicide Squad dark website.”

The Victorian coroner recommended federal Assistant Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Minister Emma McBride investigate ways to further restrict the online sale and distribution of the chemical compound in Australia.

According to court documents, Greenwood’s father wrote to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to say his son had purchased the hazardous material through Amazon Marketplace.

Mr Dreyfus asked Amazon Australia if it had considered banning the compound and regulating its purchase. Its country manager, Janet Menzies, replied that the chemical compound had not been permitted as a “stand-alone product” since 2017.

Mr Cain said Amazon Australia told him that in 2022 it introduced a global policy to restrict products with the chemical compound as the primary or sole ingredient from being available to Australian consumers on other Amazon stores. He said it could still be easily purchased.

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