Woman Commits "Toxic Chemical" Suicide at Berkeley City Club

NBC Bay Area ^ | Wednesday, Mar 19, 2014

[nickcarraway]

A historic San Francisco Bay Area hotel and social club was evacuated after a woman used a toxic chemical to commit suicide in her room.

Police spokesman Ethell Wilson says the 80-year-old woman used sodium azide to kill herself Tuesday in her apartment on the third floor of the landmark Berkeley City Club.

The Oakland Tribune reports that the woman left a note warning authorities of the dangerous situation, and hazardous materials crews and bomb squad technicians responded just before 2 p.m.

[Kartographer]

From the CDC:

What sodium azide is
•Sodium azide is a rapidly acting, potentially deadly chemical that exists as an odorless white solid.
•When it is mixed with water or an acid, sodium azide changes rapidly to a toxic gas with a pungent (sharp) odor. It also changes into a toxic gas (hydrazoic acid) when it comes in contact with solid metals (for example, when it is poured into a drain pipe containing lead or copper).
•The odor of the gas may not be sharp enough, however, to give people sufficient warning of the danger.

I think it is covered by Obamacare. (sarc)

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

“When mixed with water”

So, this stuff is in airbags.

What happens when you are in an accident, your airbags go off just before your car plunges into a creek?

[Navy Patriot]

Is it possible to make Berkeley more toxic?

[G Larry]

You’ll wanna be holdin’ ur breath anyway.....

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Sodium azide is a severe poison. It may be fatal in contact with skin or if swallowed. Even minute amounts can cause symptoms. The toxicity of this compound is comparable to that of soluble alkali cyanides and the lethal dose for an adult human is about 0.7 grams.

[Bigg Red]

Is post #3 accurate?

[NoCmpromiz]

Is post #3 accurate?

Short answer - yes.

Why is sodium azide used in air bags?

[MarMema]

Well at least she didn't use a nailgun on herself.

Did she have any banking experience?

[Drew68]

The Oakland Tribune reports that the woman left a note warning authorities of the dangerous situation...

How considerate of her.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Older airbag formulations contained mixtures of oxidizers and sodium azide and other agents including ignitors and accelerants. An electronic controller detonates this mixture during an automobile crash: 2 NaN3 → 2Na + 3 N2 The same reaction occurs upon heating the salt to approximately 300C. The sodium that is formed is a potential hazard itself and, in automobile airbags, it is converted by reaction with other ingredients, such as potassium nitrate and silica. In the latter case, innocuous sodium silicates are generated. Sodium azide is also used in airplane escape chutes. Newer generation air bags contain nitroguanidine or similar less sensitive explosives.

[Bigg Red]

Thank you for the information.