Suffocation deaths
Suffocation deaths result from a severe deprivation of oxygen necessary for sustaining life. This condition can arise from various circumstances, including chest compression, interference with oxygen absorption, gas displacement in the lungs, and smothering. Notably, suffocation can occur both intentionally, as in suicides, and accidentally, often without external signs of trauma. In 2022, over 12,200 individuals died by suicide due to suffocation in the United States, highlighting its significance as a public health issue.
Common scenarios leading to suffocation include crowded situations where chest compression occurs, such as during emergencies, as well as accidents involving substances that bury or trap individuals. Additionally, chemical agents, like carbon monoxide, can impair the body’s ability to absorb oxygen, while gases such as hydrogen cyanide can displace oxygen in the lungs. Smothering can also lead to suffocation when airflow is obstructed, often through physical means. Understanding the mechanisms and contexts of suffocation is crucial for prevention and intervention efforts.
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Suffocation deaths
DEFINITION: Severe deprivation of the oxygen supply needed by the body to sustain life.
SIGNIFICANCE: Death by suffocation often causes no exterior signs of trauma. During an autopsy, a forensic pathologist may be able to discover signs of chemicals in the lungs or other damage that would lead to a determination of suffocation as the cause of death.
The body can be deprived of oxygen to the point of death in a variety of ways, including through compression of the chest, interference with oxygen absorption, displacement of oxygen in the lungs, and smothering. Suffocation may occur intentionally, as in cases of or suicide, or it may occur accidentally. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 12,200 people died by suicide as a result of suffocation in 2022.
Compression of the chest to the point of limiting the lungs’ ability to expand can cause suffocation. This type of suffocation is a in situations involving panicked crowds (the most common cause of death in such disasters is suffocation, not trampling, as is often believed), accidents in which the victims are buried in substances such as sand or grain, and accidents in which objects fall on victims’ chests. In the combat exercise known as “body scissors,” the legs are used to compress an opponent’s chest, depriving that person of oxygen. Snakes such as boa constrictors and pythons use this type of suffocation to kill their prey.
The body’s absorption of oxygen can be interfered with chemically or physically. Chemical interference can be caused by agents such as carbon monoxide (often from car exhaust) or phosgene (a toxic compound used as a weapon during World War I, but now used as an industrial reagent). These agents interfere with the body’s ability to absorb oxygen by bonding with blood cells in place of oxygen.
Another form of interference with oxygen absorption is physical displacement. This occurs when a type of gas takes the place of oxygen in the lungs. Some of the types of gases that can displace oxygen are hydrogen cyanide and potassium cyanide, which were previously used in gas chambers for execution and as chemical weapons and are now used in industrial applications. Displacement may also occur with smoke and other types of fumes or with another substance, such as water. In addition, oxygen may be displaced from the lungs in a vacuum or an extremely low-pressure environment; in such an environment, oxygen is literally sucked out of the lungs.
Smothering is a means of suffocation that involves the obstruction of the flow of air into the lungs. For example, an attacker may cover the mouth and nose of a victim with a physical object, such as a hand, a pillow, or a plastic bag. In some cases, such action may be combined with chest compression.
Bibliography
Baden, Michael, and Marion Roach. Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.
Lyle, D. P. Forensics and Fiction: Clever, Intriguing, and Downright Odd Questions from Crime Writers. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2007.
Shkrum, Michael J., and David A. Ramsay. Forensic Pathology of Trauma: Common Problems for the Pathologist. Totowa, N.J.: Humana Press, 2007.
"Suicide and Self-Harm Injury." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23 July 2023, www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/suicide.htm. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.