Empire actress Lindsey Pearlman

Authorities around the world have been struggling to keep sodium nitrite out of the hands of vulnerable people amid an alarming uptick in suicides.

Lawyers for the grieving mother, Ruth Scott, have called sodium nitrite “suicide powder.” Her lawsuit—which claims Amazon is the No. Just how many people have died from sodium nitrite is unknown in the United States, but multiple doctors, like Pires, report it’s a growing method of suicide. But the doctor added that just a small number of hobbyists use the chemical to cure meat, while a growing number of young people are using it to take their own life. Amazon is being sued by a mother who lost her 27-year-old son to sodium nitrite last year. Stateside, seven members of Congress wrote an open letter to Amazon the same month as Pearlman’s death, pleading with the company to restrict the sale of sodium nitrite to individuals. “There’s an argument that it’s a slippery slope to restrict sales of something that is legal just because some people are using it to kill themselves,” Dr. Keay says his company now only sells the chemical after it has been mixed and can no longer be used easily for consumption. He tried to inform other European sellers about its dangers and many agreed to halt sales, too, but Britons are still able to get their hands on the chemical by ordering from abroad. have received a frightening number of reports of people poisoning themselves by consuming nitrites and nitrates. A medical examiner report revealed this week that Empire actress Lindsey Pearlman died by suicide in February from sodium nitrite poisoning—and she’s not alone. Pearlman’s death comes as authorities in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom struggle to keep sodium nitrite out of the hands of vulnerable people. 13, authorities said, after a five-day search for the actress, who appeared on TV shows like Chicago Justice and General Hospital.