Kenneth Smith, to be executed in Alabama by untested nitrogen-gas method, tells Guardian of nightmares from failed lethal injection

Kenneth Smith, 58, is facing execution by an untested method that has never before been used in capital punishment in the US. It’s a technique that has been rejected on ethical grounds by veterinarians for the euthanasia of most animals other than pigs: death by nitrogen gas.

  •  brie   ( @brie@beehaw.org ) 
    2•5 months ago

    https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/Guidelines-on-Euthanasia-2020.pdf

    Page 28 explains that it’s based on which animals appear to suffer:

    Hypoxia produced by N2 and Ar appears to reduce, but not eliminate, aversive responses in pigs. […]

    Advantages—(1) Nitrogen and Ar do not appear to be directly aversive to chickens or turkeys, and the resulting hypoxia appears to be nonaversive or only mildly aversive to these species. Similarly, N2 and Ar gas mixtures do not appear to be directly aversive to pigs and appear to reduce, but not eliminate, the behavioral responses to hypoxia. […]

    General recommendations—Hypoxia resulting from exposure to Ar or N2 gas mixtures is acceptable with conditions for euthanasia of chickens and turkeys. Likewise, hypoxia resulting from Ar or N2-CO2 gas mixtures is acceptable with conditions for euthanasia of pigs, provided animals can be directly placed into a < 2% O2 atmosphere and exposure times > 7 minutes are used. Use of Ar or N2 is unacceptable for other mammals. […]

    As an aside, I wonder if a PCB (Penenetrative Captive Device) has ever been designed for humans, considering it is recommended over firearms for animals.