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Chemical suicides present new dangers for medics

First responders are dealing with a new and dangerous phenomenon

NPR News

STILLWATER, Minn.— Authorities in eastern Minnesota say first responders are dealing with a new and dangerous phenomenon -- chemical suicide.

Washington County Sheriff’s Cmdr. Brian Mueller says his department dealt with its first case over the weekend. A person had committed suicide by mixing household chemicals in a bucket, creating a deadly gas. The body of the man, from Prescott, Wis., was found in a car in Point Douglas Park.

Mueller says when first responders arrived they detected a faint smell of chemicals and called St. Paul hazardous materials squad. He says more training is needed for first responders because they “may not know what they’re walking into when they open the car door.”

Full Story: New EMT danger: Chemical suicides

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