Supporting the Youth Poisoning Protection Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. CAREY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a bill that will prevent deadly chemicals from falling into the hands of children, our Youth Poisoning Protection Act.
It's a parent's worst nightmare: a faceless stranger over the internet teaching your child how to take their own life, and your child, in a moment of vulnerability, listening to them.
That's exactly what happened to Kristine Jonsson, a vibrant sixteen- year-old from Hilliard, Ohio whose life was cut tragically short in September 2020 Kristine was open with her parents about her mental health struggles, but it was behind closed doors on an internet forum that she learned about sodium nitrite.
With the coaching of strangers online, Kristine was able to purchase sodium nitrite on Amazon.com and get it shipped to her front door, all without the knowledge of her parents.
Sodium nitrite is a chemical used in the preservation of meat and fish, which in high concentrations is deadly if ingested. In fact, one spoonful of the chemical is one hundred times more lethal than other poisons. High concentrations of some chemicals can be harmful if used improperly, which is why they are usually highly regulated or banned for sale to consumers.
Thanks to online forums like the one Kristine saw, the number of suicide deaths using sodium nitrite is steadily rising. In recent years, the share of sodium nitrite usage as a method of self-poisoning has grown nine times over.
By passing this bill, we can save lives.
The Youth Poisoning Protection Act would prevent the commercial sale of highly-concentrated sodium nitrite, so it can never fall into the hands of a vulnerable young person.
I want to thank my colleague, Rep. Trahan of Massachusetts, as well as Senators J.D. Vance of Ohio and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois for partnering with us in this important effort.
With their support and yours, we are one step closer to preventing these senseless tragedies.
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