I got a lot of help and info from people on this site about inert gas setups. I just wanted to put together, in the simplest way, all what I've found to be very helpful to me, in the one thread.
This following list of info relates to setups involving inert gas ( nitrogen/argon/helium), and attaching the gas cylinders to either an:
- exit bag,
- a hood(EEBD hood/ELSA hood/rescue hood)
- a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) mask
- or a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) mask.
Before I link the info below on how to set up the different headgear to the gas, first a bit of info about the gas cylinders, and the gas regulators that control the gas flowing to the headgear.
Getting a Gas Cylinder
Get either a nitrogen, argon, or helium cylinder. Make sure it's as close to 100% purity (> 98%) as possible (the seller will usually say if it's 100%). You can use a device called an oximeter to test the gas purity after you buy it, if you want. Most people just take the gas cylinder seller at their word that it is 100% purity. Cylinder costs vary, depending on volume. As an example, a 9 litre/~43 cu/ft nitrogen cylinder in Western Europe can cost up to €200 (euros). Some vendors do deliveries, some only do collection.
Working out how much gas you need
Calculating how many litres of gas in a cylinder
Given that it's recommended to set a gasflow of 15-25 LPM of gas to ctb (I'd go with 25lpm), and given that the PPH says that death occurs after 5-10 mins (unconsciousness after 30-60 seconds), you need to know how many litres of gas in the cylinder to ensure there's enough to ctb.
Unfortunately, gas cylinder size is usually given in different ways, depending on the region. So the way of working out how much compressed gas there is can vary. But it's usually sold as either:
1) Cubic feet of compressed gas (e.g 40 cu/ft). Just convert this to litres using an online converter converter.
(e.g. 40 cu/ft = ~1133 litres of compressed gas)
2) Metres cubed of compressed gas (e.g. 2m³ of compressed gas). Again, convert to litres using a converter.
(1m³ = 1000 litres of gas).
3) Confusingly, in some regions, e.g UK, they often give the cylinder size by how much water volume it can hold. E.g. 2 litres, or 9 litres, as opposed to the volume of compressed gas. They also usually give the pressure of the cylinder in bar. To get the approx. volume of compressed gas, just multiply the water volume by the bar pressure. ( e.g. a 9l cylinder at 137 bar pressure gives 1233 litres of compressed gas (9×137).
How long will the cylinder gas flow last?
Once you know how many litres of compressed gas you have, you can work out how long the gas flow will last for. The recommended gasflow setting to ctb( which you set on the regulator) is between 15 and 25 LPM. If you have enough gas, go with 25 LPM. To calculate how long the gas flow will last, just divide the total volume of compressed gas by the gasflow LPM ( e.g. if you have 1133 litres of compressed gas, and are going to use a regulator gasflow of 25 LPM, this will give ~ 45 mins of gasflow (1133÷25).
Gas Regulator
As well as buying the gas cylinder and getting the headgear( bag, hood or mask), it is advisable that you get a gas regulator (with a flowmeter) to go between the gas cylinder and headgear. This allows you to control the amount of gas going to the headgear, as well as allowing you to assess how many minutes worth of gas you gave. This is important, as you want enough gas to ctb, going by the times it has taken people to ctb via inert gas, given by the likes of Dignitas and the PPH (see info at the bottom of this thread on those times).
While people in the past have ctb'd by just using an inert gas cylinder connected directly to an exit bag (sometimes using 2 cylinders connected to the one tube going to an exit bag), it is advisable using a regulator, to give you more peace of mind.
When buying a gas regulator, try and buy a regulator that matches the gas you buy, i.e. a nitrogen regulator for a nitrogen gas cylinder. If you can only get argon regulator, it is fine to use with nitrogen, though you will have to convert Argon litres per minute (LPM) gasflow to nitrogen (see below). A setting of 20lpm on an argon flowmeter equals roughly 25 LPM of nitrogen;).
( For anyone buying helium party balloon canisters, normal gas regulators do not fit onto the valve fitting on these ).
Types of headgear to attach to gas
Here are the different options of headgear to attach to the gas regulator and cylinder.
1) Exit Bag
The cheapest method is the 'Exit bag'. You just hook up a plastic bag to the regulator via a tube. People often use turkey bags/oven bags.
A short piece explaining how to make.. an exit bag, based on the PPH method, is here.
A video of Betty, showing how to make an exit bag, is here.
Derek Humphrey also described how to make an exit bag in his Final Exit handbook, linked here.
2) EEBD Hood / Rescue Hood
A slightly more expensive setup is to attach the gas regulator to a hood that is designed to rescue people. These hoods are usually called Emergency Escape Breathing Apparatus (EEBD) hoods, or Emergency Life Support Apparatus (ELSA) hoods, or rescue hoods. They are normally hooked up to air cylinders, to help people escape toxic environments. For ctb purposes, the hoods are attached to the inert gas regulator and cylinder.
Here's a simple EEBD how-to-setup.
Prices can vary wildly, from ~$20 on Alibaba, to $200 for a branded one.
3) SCBA and SCUBA setups
These are the most expensive setups, and can cost from $1000 - €2000 in total.
SCBA
SCBA uses a mask and hose that's normally hooked up to an air cylinder, but for these purposes, hooked up to an inert gas. SCBA gear is normally often used by used by firefighters, etc, to rescue people from toxic environments. This setup does not use a normal gas regulator, it has a specific SCBA regulator. The gas flows into a mask as the person breathes in, on demand.
SCBA megathread here.
SCUBA
SCUBA uses SCUBA diving gear, attached to an inert gas, as opposed to air.
Here's an example of a full SCUBA setup here.
SCUBA megathread here.
Avoiding Falling Over
It is advisable to be seated upright when using the exit bag/EEBD hood methods. To avoid falling over when unconscious, and potentially knocking over the cylinder, it is advisable to strap yourself to the armchair/reclining chair/chair. Tie-down straps or luggage straps are useful for this approach.
Overview
The inert gas megathread is here.
Some pic examples of people's setups are here.
Time taken to lose consciousness/ctb
In 2008, Dignitas did an inert gas trial of 4 people (they usually use pentobarbital when doing assisted suicide), where they hooked up helium to a face mask. The times it took to lose consciousness, and die, are shown here:
They said the reason the fourth person took a lot longer to ctb (~40 mins versus ~5-9 mins for the others), was probably because her mask was not as tight-fitting. As euthanasia is illegal there (as opposed to assisted suicide), the attendants could not adjust the person's mask to ensure its tightness. (all of it was filmed for the police, as assisted suicide often is by Dignitas).
Full pdf study paper on that Dignitas trial can be downloaded free from here.
Worries about brain damage if found before ctb'ing.
There is a risk with any ctb method. This method causes inert gas to replace oxygen in your body. Lack of oxygen going to the brain can damage it. Therefore, there is the risk of brain damage if you are found unconscious before you ctb. But it's not guaranteed.
I came across a piece about a South Korean man who went to a hospital, 5 days after he attempted to ctb via nitrogen and a plastic bag. (I presume he didn't have enough gas to ctb).
Anyway, he showed up at the hospital with symptoms of diplopia (double vision), headache, and numbness and cramping in his hands. After 15 days in hospital, his symptoms improved, and he left with no apparent damage to his brain. That piece is here.
Obviously, you need to ensure that you have enough gas to ensure ctb.
Thanks to those posters who helped with all the above info.
I am not advising/encouraging anyone to ctb. Get whatever help you can, etc, etc.
This following list of info relates to setups involving inert gas ( nitrogen/argon/helium), and attaching the gas cylinders to either an:
- exit bag,
- a hood(EEBD hood/ELSA hood/rescue hood)
- a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) mask
- or a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) mask.
Before I link the info below on how to set up the different headgear to the gas, first a bit of info about the gas cylinders, and the gas regulators that control the gas flowing to the headgear.
Getting a Gas Cylinder
Get either a nitrogen, argon, or helium cylinder. Make sure it's as close to 100% purity (> 98%) as possible (the seller will usually say if it's 100%). You can use a device called an oximeter to test the gas purity after you buy it, if you want. Most people just take the gas cylinder seller at their word that it is 100% purity. Cylinder costs vary, depending on volume. As an example, a 9 litre/~43 cu/ft nitrogen cylinder in Western Europe can cost up to €200 (euros). Some vendors do deliveries, some only do collection.
Working out how much gas you need
Calculating how many litres of gas in a cylinder
Given that it's recommended to set a gasflow of 15-25 LPM of gas to ctb (I'd go with 25lpm), and given that the PPH says that death occurs after 5-10 mins (unconsciousness after 30-60 seconds), you need to know how many litres of gas in the cylinder to ensure there's enough to ctb.
Unfortunately, gas cylinder size is usually given in different ways, depending on the region. So the way of working out how much compressed gas there is can vary. But it's usually sold as either:
1) Cubic feet of compressed gas (e.g 40 cu/ft). Just convert this to litres using an online converter converter.
(e.g. 40 cu/ft = ~1133 litres of compressed gas)
2) Metres cubed of compressed gas (e.g. 2m³ of compressed gas). Again, convert to litres using a converter.
(1m³ = 1000 litres of gas).
3) Confusingly, in some regions, e.g UK, they often give the cylinder size by how much water volume it can hold. E.g. 2 litres, or 9 litres, as opposed to the volume of compressed gas. They also usually give the pressure of the cylinder in bar. To get the approx. volume of compressed gas, just multiply the water volume by the bar pressure. ( e.g. a 9l cylinder at 137 bar pressure gives 1233 litres of compressed gas (9×137).
How long will the cylinder gas flow last?
Once you know how many litres of compressed gas you have, you can work out how long the gas flow will last for. The recommended gasflow setting to ctb( which you set on the regulator) is between 15 and 25 LPM. If you have enough gas, go with 25 LPM. To calculate how long the gas flow will last, just divide the total volume of compressed gas by the gasflow LPM ( e.g. if you have 1133 litres of compressed gas, and are going to use a regulator gasflow of 25 LPM, this will give ~ 45 mins of gasflow (1133÷25).
Gas Regulator
As well as buying the gas cylinder and getting the headgear( bag, hood or mask), it is advisable that you get a gas regulator (with a flowmeter) to go between the gas cylinder and headgear. This allows you to control the amount of gas going to the headgear, as well as allowing you to assess how many minutes worth of gas you gave. This is important, as you want enough gas to ctb, going by the times it has taken people to ctb via inert gas, given by the likes of Dignitas and the PPH (see info at the bottom of this thread on those times).
While people in the past have ctb'd by just using an inert gas cylinder connected directly to an exit bag (sometimes using 2 cylinders connected to the one tube going to an exit bag), it is advisable using a regulator, to give you more peace of mind.
When buying a gas regulator, try and buy a regulator that matches the gas you buy, i.e. a nitrogen regulator for a nitrogen gas cylinder. If you can only get argon regulator, it is fine to use with nitrogen, though you will have to convert Argon litres per minute (LPM) gasflow to nitrogen (see below). A setting of 20lpm on an argon flowmeter equals roughly 25 LPM of nitrogen;).
( For anyone buying helium party balloon canisters, normal gas regulators do not fit onto the valve fitting on these ).
Types of headgear to attach to gas
Here are the different options of headgear to attach to the gas regulator and cylinder.
1) Exit Bag
The cheapest method is the 'Exit bag'. You just hook up a plastic bag to the regulator via a tube. People often use turkey bags/oven bags.
A short piece explaining how to make.. an exit bag, based on the PPH method, is here.
A video of Betty, showing how to make an exit bag, is here.
Derek Humphrey also described how to make an exit bag in his Final Exit handbook, linked here.
2) EEBD Hood / Rescue Hood
A slightly more expensive setup is to attach the gas regulator to a hood that is designed to rescue people. These hoods are usually called Emergency Escape Breathing Apparatus (EEBD) hoods, or Emergency Life Support Apparatus (ELSA) hoods, or rescue hoods. They are normally hooked up to air cylinders, to help people escape toxic environments. For ctb purposes, the hoods are attached to the inert gas regulator and cylinder.
Here's a simple EEBD how-to-setup.
Prices can vary wildly, from ~$20 on Alibaba, to $200 for a branded one.
3) SCBA and SCUBA setups
These are the most expensive setups, and can cost from $1000 - €2000 in total.
SCBA
SCBA uses a mask and hose that's normally hooked up to an air cylinder, but for these purposes, hooked up to an inert gas. SCBA gear is normally often used by used by firefighters, etc, to rescue people from toxic environments. This setup does not use a normal gas regulator, it has a specific SCBA regulator. The gas flows into a mask as the person breathes in, on demand.
SCBA megathread here.
SCUBA
SCUBA uses SCUBA diving gear, attached to an inert gas, as opposed to air.
Here's an example of a full SCUBA setup here.
SCUBA megathread here.
Avoiding Falling Over
It is advisable to be seated upright when using the exit bag/EEBD hood methods. To avoid falling over when unconscious, and potentially knocking over the cylinder, it is advisable to strap yourself to the armchair/reclining chair/chair. Tie-down straps or luggage straps are useful for this approach.
Overview
The inert gas megathread is here.
Some pic examples of people's setups are here.
Time taken to lose consciousness/ctb
In 2008, Dignitas did an inert gas trial of 4 people (they usually use pentobarbital when doing assisted suicide), where they hooked up helium to a face mask. The times it took to lose consciousness, and die, are shown here:
They said the reason the fourth person took a lot longer to ctb (~40 mins versus ~5-9 mins for the others), was probably because her mask was not as tight-fitting. As euthanasia is illegal there (as opposed to assisted suicide), the attendants could not adjust the person's mask to ensure its tightness. (all of it was filmed for the police, as assisted suicide often is by Dignitas).
Full pdf study paper on that Dignitas trial can be downloaded free from here.
Worries about brain damage if found before ctb'ing.
There is a risk with any ctb method. This method causes inert gas to replace oxygen in your body. Lack of oxygen going to the brain can damage it. Therefore, there is the risk of brain damage if you are found unconscious before you ctb. But it's not guaranteed.
I came across a piece about a South Korean man who went to a hospital, 5 days after he attempted to ctb via nitrogen and a plastic bag. (I presume he didn't have enough gas to ctb).
Anyway, he showed up at the hospital with symptoms of diplopia (double vision), headache, and numbness and cramping in his hands. After 15 days in hospital, his symptoms improved, and he left with no apparent damage to his brain. That piece is here.
Obviously, you need to ensure that you have enough gas to ensure ctb.
Thanks to those posters who helped with all the above info.
I am not advising/encouraging anyone to ctb. Get whatever help you can, etc, etc.
Last edited:
