Method Diethyl Ether Exit Bag

[Lord_Kapybara]

Hi!

I have been wondering for a long time about the possibility of CTB using the Exit Bag with Diethyl Ether. I read about various other methods, but all require high preparations and appropriate field conditions. Not all can be easily packaged in a backpack and made deep (painless) in the woods or in the mountains. My attention was caught by Diethyl Ether, what I know from literature as a narcotic means (it was also used in anaste of the past). I read on the narcotic forums that during entertainment, it must be make sure that the towel soaked in this towel is not put on the face, because in the event of loss of consciousness, it can lead to respiratory depression (and death).

Here on the forum I only saw threads that indicate it as an additional tool in other methods. I would like to know if it is not enough as a main method. An additional advantage is its price and easy availability (in Eastern Europe you can legally ordered it by Internet for less than 20 euros per liter). I really hope it will be painless...

I checked scientific literature in search of tips whether this is a used method (bibliography with links below).

In [1] we can read about the case:

In February 2002 in Athens, Greece, a 49-year-old male
merchant was found by his wife in his office, sitting on his desk
with a plastic garbage bag securely fastened around his neck.
Inside the bag there was a folded small cleaning towel. Beside
him, on the desk was a commercial 500-ml glass bottle of diethyl
ether, containing 150 ml of the solvent.

In [2] (this publication includes photos and the equipment used)

2. Materials and methods
2.1. Case history
A middle aged man was found dead in his bed. A plastic-bag had
been pulled over his head and was loose around his neck. Body
temperature was 36.5 °C and room temperature was 29 °C. The
body was placed on the floor by the emergency personnel, as
shown in Fig. 1. You will also notice a gas mask, located on the
office chair, as well as a green plastic-bag (white arrows in
Fig. 1) being removed from the victim's head during resuscitation
attempts. No forensic expert was present at the death scene.

In [3] (here we find out here that Ether can also be encouraged by intravenously; I know that for entertainment purposes, people often drink it):

Case report. A 24-year-old male was ad-
mitted in our ICU after a suicide attempt
through an intravenous diethyl ether injec-
tion, in the same way he used this for killing
animals in a veterinary clinic where he was
an employee. Just before he injected 5 ml of
this pure substance into his left cubital vein,
he had called his relatives, who immediately
ordered an ambulance, and the patient was
transported to hospital in a few minutes. At
arrival in the emergency room he appeared
severely comatous, his eyes remained
closed and he only uttered sounds as verbal
response, he showed alternating flexion and
extension movements, presenting a re-
markable hypertonicity which led at times
to opisthotonos. He was immediately intu-
bated and connected to mechanical ventila-
tion.

There is another paper whose abstract sounds good. However, I can't find it for free anywhere. Maybe some of you have access to medical publications and could share this text?

• Ward ME, Meyerhein RF. Diethyl ether, a chemical asphyxiant used as a prelude to homicide: a report of three cases. J Forensic Sci. 1997 Mar;42(2):344-8. PMID: 9068199.

Unless the method with the injection does not sound good to me (I faint at the sight of needles), the inhalation seems sensible. I was interested in a gas mask (or inhalation mask from the pharmacy), in which I would put a towel soaked in Ether. For certainty, the plastic bag can be used outside so that the fluid does not evaporate too quickly, but there should be no need to cut off oxygen access (we don't want to choke).
Such a set would be easy to transport and assemble. Plus a very cheap and unsuspected (at most someone will think that you want to drug).

What do you think about it?

---

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. [https://www.jmir.org/2002/3/e18/PDF] Athanaselis S, Stefanidou M, Karakoukis N, Koutselinis A, Asphyxial Death by Ether Inhalation and Plastic-bag Suffocation Instructed by the Press and the Internet, J Med Internet Res 2002;4(3):e18
2. [https://sci-hub.st/10.1016/j.legalmed.2011.05.008] Monticelli F, Kemmerling R, Schulz K, Keller T. Another case of diethyl ether intoxication?: a case report focusing on toxicological analysis. Leg Med (Tokyo). 2011 Sep;13(5):254-8. doi: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2011.05.008. Epub 2011 Jul 31. PMID: 21807546.
3. [https://sci-hub.st/10.1007/s001340050851] Serrano, N., Jiménez, J.J., Prieto, F. and Mora, M.L., 1999. Ether suicide poisoning by intravenous injection. Intensive care medicine, 25(3), p.337.

 

[uta]

Bumping this because I found your post by searching diethyl ether

 

[Lord_Kapybara]

Please, if anyone has any medical knowledge about Ether, share your insights. I checked the methods of using the euthanasia of the veterinary euthanasia. It doesn't look so good.

In [4], diethyl ether required approximately 3 minutes to induce death in rats—longer than chloroform (35 seconds) and cervical dislocation (4 seconds). Unlike other methods, ether exposure caused marked signs of distress, including spinning movements, body constriction, stiffening, and piloerection in the final minute. These behaviors indicate high stress prior to death. Additionally, ether was reported as the most expensive chemical used. Despite its rating in the study, ether appears less humane and less efficient than the alternatives tested.

Diethyl ether sedation lasted longer than cervicaldislocation and chloroform sedation andcharacteristically produces a spinning andconstricting effect on the rats in the last minute ofexposure. The spinning is immediately followedby death of the rat. When brought out from theinhalation chamber, the body of the rat isstiffened and the hairs and furs stand. Apart fromthese, diethyl ether is more expensive than allthe other chemicals used in this study.

It sounds very bad. However, it should be remembered that the descriptions of the narcotic effect of the ether on people are significantly different from the one described here.

In [5] the study "Diluted Isoflurane as a Suitable Alternative for Diethyl Ether for Rat Anaesthesia in Regular Toxicology Studies", diethyl ether (DEE) was evaluated in 10 rats. The following anaesthesia (not an euthanasia) parameters were recorded:

• Time to loss of righting reflex (onset of sedation):
  52.3 ± 12.2 seconds
• Time to loss of palpebral reflex (depth of anaesthesia):
  92.5 ± 15.7 seconds

All animals displayed an initial phase of hyperactivity, followed by sedation and smooth recovery.

---

Although diethyl ether has historically been used by humans for recreational purposes due to its euphoric and dissociative effects, its initial impact on the central nervous system is highly stimulating. In rats, this often manifests as hyperactivity and signs of stress during the induction phase of anaesthesia. This discrepancy may be due to species-specific differences in perception, neurochemistry, and context of exposure. Unlike humans, who voluntarily inhale ether in a controlled or intentional manner, laboratory rats are exposed involuntarily, often in an enclosed chamber, which can intensify fear and disorientation—particularly when combined with ether's strong odor and irritant properties. Thus, what may be perceived as pleasurable in a human setting could instead trigger a stress response in animals lacking cognitive context.

---

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
4. [https://www.researchgate.net/profil...1YmxpY2F0aW9uIiwicGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIn19]
U.S. Aguwa, et al., Comparing the Effect of Methods of Rat Euthanasia on the Brain of Wistar Rats: Cervical Dislocation, Chloroform Inhalation, Diethyl Ether Inhalation and Formalin Inhalation, 2020, Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research, DOI: 10.9734/JAMMR/2020/v32i1730636
5. [https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jvms/69/11/69_11_1137/_pdf]
Toshiaki NAGATE et al., Diluted Isoflurane as a Suitable Alternative for Diethyl ether for Rat Anaesthesia in Regular Toxicology Studies, 2007, J. Vet. Med. Sci. 69(11): 1137–1143