nitrogen

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Inmate's Spiritual Adviser: Protection Needed for Nitrogen Execution

Nitrogen gas could present a problem in the case of a leak

(Newser) - The spiritual adviser for an Alabama prisoner set to be the first person executed with nitrogen gas has asked the state prison system to provide additional precautions to ensure the safety of bystanders and witnesses at the execution, the AP reports. The Rev. Jeff Hood, who will stand near Kenneth...

UN Experts Call to Stop Alabama Inmate's Execution

Independent monitors with group are 'alarmed' nitrogen gas will be used to execute Kenneth Smith

(Newser) - An Alabama inmate's scheduled execution by nitrogen gas later this month, which would be the first-ever execution by this method in the US, is now receiving pushback from the United Nations. The Guardian reports that four independent UN monitors have issued a joint statement on the plan for Jan....

In This State, a Move Forward on a New Execution Method

Alabama says it's 'close' on protocol for using nitrogen gas to put inmates to death

(Newser) - The head of Alabama's prison system said Wednesday that a protocol for using nitrogen gas to carry out executions should be finished this year. "We're close. We're close," John Hamm, commissioner of the state's Department of Corrections, said of the new execution method that...

Dutch Farmers Block Roads With Piles of Manure

They're protesting nitrogen emissions cuts, fearing they'll put them out of business

(Newser) - Dutch farmers resumed protests at government plans to reduce nitrogen emissions Wednesday by dumping manure and garbage on highways and setting fires alongside roads. Traffic authorities said several roads in the central and eastern Netherlands were completely or partially blocked, requiring fire services to rush to clear roads as traffic...

Food Prices May Spike Again, Thanks to a New Shortage

Nitrogen fertilizer is in short supply

(Newser) - Farmers have no shortages of things to worry about, and Reuters reports that a major new concern has joined the list this year: Nitrogen fertilizer is in short supply, and its cost is skyrocketing as a result. This could not only translate into higher prices in everything from bread to...

After Deaths at Chicken Plant, Probe Zeroes In on Conveyer

6 workers died after liquid nitrogen release at Foundation Food Group in Georgia

(Newser) - A conveyer that transported chicken to a liquid nitrogen bath at a Georgia poultry processing plant had unresolved problems prior to the liquid nitrogen release that killed six workers on Jan. 28, federal investigators said. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports the plant in Gainesville flash freezes its chicken using liquid...

At Least 6 Die After Leak at Georgia Plant

Liquid nitrogen line appears to have failed at food processor

(Newser) - At least six people were killed Thursday by a liquid nitrogen leak at a plant in Georgia. First responders who arrived at the Prime-Pak Foods plant in Gainesville after a report that people had suffered burns found many employees had evacuated. Several of them were "experiencing medical emergencies,"...

Oklahoma Plans to Be First to Use Execution Method

Nitrogen gas will be new primary method of execution

(Newser) - If new protocols are successfully developed and the change isn't blocked by court challenges, one of Oklahoma's 49 condemned inmates will soon become the first person in the US legally executed with nitrogen gas. The state—which started exploring the use of the inert gas after a botched...

Bar Fined $155K for Toxic Shot That Killed Teen's Stomach

Smoke poured out of girl's nose, mouth right after she drank liquid nitrogen

(Newser) - A UK wine bar is in the hole for a $155,000 fine after a teen ingested a liquid nitrogen shot given to her on the house, became instantly ill, and had to have her stomach removed , the Guardian reports. Gaby Scanlon, now 20, was with friends at Oscar's...

Oklahoma Debates Death by Nitrogen for Inmates

Rep. Mike Christian: executions with nitrogen gas deplete oxygen, are painless

(Newser) - Tennessee has brought back the electric chair ; Utah's considering reviving the firing squad . Now Oklahoma Republicans are making a push to build a $300,000 gas chamber in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, using nitrogen gas as a backup plan to lethal injection in executions, the AP reports....

Okla. Lawmaker: Let's Kill Inmates With Nitrogen

It's painless and cheap, Mike Christian says

(Newser) - A lawmaker in the state that pioneered lethal injections says he has found an "innovative" new way to execute inmates involving nitrogen gas. Oklahoma state Rep. Mike Christian tells Der Spiegel that using nitrogen gas for executions is painless, fast, and "cheaper than the bullets you need for...

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