What Amazon Knew, And When

By 2018, Amazon’s customer service channels had been contacted by parents whose children had died by suicide using sodium nitrite purchased on the platform. By 2019, the National Poison Data System began reporting a spike in sodium nitrite suicides. By March 17, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent Amazon a letter stating that the Loudwolf Sodium Nitrite product sold on its platform was mislabeled and had been used for suicide.

Loudwolf immediately pulled sodium nitrite from its Amazon storefront and from its own website. Amazon did not. Through at least October 2022, Amazon continued to sell sodium nitrite through other brands, including HiMedia.

“Amazon also assists in causing individuals to die by suicide through the way it markets Sodium Nitrite. Its recommendation feature for Sodium Nitrite offers Tagamet, which is an acid reduction medicine that suicide forums recommend to prevent life-saving vomiting after ingesting a deadly dose of Sodium Nitrite.”

The plaintiffs alleged that Amazon’s algorithm went beyond passive negligence. It actively facilitated suicide. When a user searched for sodium nitrite, Amazon’s “Customers who viewed this item also viewed” and “Frequently bought together” features recommended:

• Tagamet (cimetidine), an acid reducer used to prevent vomiting
• Precision scales for measuring exact doses
• The “Amazon Edition” of The Peaceful Pill Handbook, a suicide instruction manual that devotes an entire chapter to sodium nitrite and includes a hyperlink to Amazon’s sodium nitrite product pages

According to the complaint, Amazon’s search engine would autosuggest the phrase “sodium nitrite suicide” when users typed “sodium nitrite” into the search bar.

Amazon also sent reminder emails to customers who had viewed sodium nitrite, advertising these products. When grieving family members left one-star reviews warning that the product was being used for suicide, Amazon deleted the reviews.

What Sodium Nitrite Does To The Human Body

Sodium nitrite is an industrial-grade chemical used in laboratories and as a meat preservative. When used for curing meat, it is diluted to 6.0 percent purity and mixed with other ingredients. The sodium nitrite sold by Amazon was between 98.0 percent and 99.6 percent pure.

Ingesting sodium nitrite causes methemoglobinemia. The chemical converts hemoglobin in the blood into methemoglobin, which cannot carry oxygen. Within minutes, the user experiences hypoxia. A dose as small as 0.7 grams can be lethal. Death occurs in approximately 20 minutes. The process is described in medical literature as extremely painful.

Sodium nitrite looks like table salt. It has no household use at concentrations above 6.0 percent.

The Non-Financial Ledger

Mikael Scott, Age 27

On December 21, 2020, Mikael Scott purchased HiMedia Sodium Nitrite and a small scale from Amazon.com. Both items were delivered to his home two days later, on December 23, 2020.

On December 27, 2020, Mikael ingested the sodium nitrite. He texted his mother: “Vomiting is usually good as your bodies defense mechanism, especially if you feel better afterwards.”

Mikael Scott died of sodium nitrite poisoning later that day. He was 27 years old.

Tyler Muhleman, Age 17

On May 22, 2021, Tyler Muhleman purchased HiMedia Sodium Nitrite and Tagamet brand acid reducer from Amazon.com.

On May 25, 2021, Tyler ingested the sodium nitrite. Emergency medical technicians arrived at his home and attempted to save him. When they checked the HiMedia bottle for antidote information, they found none. The label contained no instructions for reversing the product’s effects.

Tyler Muhleman died of sodium nitrite poisoning. He was 17 years old.

Demetrios Viglis, Age 19

On or around March 30, 2020, Demetrios Viglis received a shipment of Loudwolf Sodium Nitrite from Amazon.com.

On April 4, 2020, Demetrios ingested the sodium nitrite. He texted one of his friends: “Don’t worry. I’ll call you in the morning, my body is rejecting the poison.”

Demetrios Viglis died of sodium nitrite poisoning. He was 19 years old.

Ava Passannanti, Age 18

On December 15, 2020, Ava Passannanti received a shipment of Loudwolf Sodium Nitrite from Amazon.com.

On February 24, 2021, Ava ingested the sodium nitrite. She called the police, begging for help. Her last recorded words were: “Someone please help me! I don’t know why I did this to myself! Please! Help me! Help me!”

Ava Passannanti died of sodium nitrite poisoning. She was 18 years old.

According to the plaintiffs, all four decedents sought help after ingesting the poison. Mikael texted his mother about his body’s natural defenses. Tyler’s emergency responders searched the bottle for treatment information. Demetrios texted a friend that his body was rejecting the poison. Ava called 911 and begged police to save her.

“Plaintiffs alleged that there is no legitimate household use for high purity sodium nitrite.”

Amazon sold it anyway. To teenagers. With no age verification. With algorithmic recommendations for antiemetics to suppress the body’s natural rejection response. With links to instruction manuals. With one-day delivery.

Legal Receipts

“Amazon also assists in causing individuals to die by suicide through the way it markets Sodium Nitrite. Its recommendation feature for Sodium Nitrite (i.e., ‘Customers who viewed this item also viewed’ and ‘Frequently bought together’) offers Tagamet, which is an acid reduction medicine that suicide forums recommend to prevent life-saving vomiting after ingesting a deadly dose of Sodium Nitrite. Also among Amazon’s recommendations for viewers of Sodium Nitrite are small scales and the ‘Amazon Edition’ of Dr. Philip Nitschke’s suicide instruction book, ‘Peaceful Pill Handbook.'”
— Plaintiffs’ Complaint, Clerk’s Papers at 214

“[L]iability may exist on the part of a person … where the death of the person injured results from [their] own act committed in delirium or frenzy, and without consciousness or appreciation on [their] part of the fact that such act will in all reasonable probability result in [their] death, or when the act causing the death is the result of an uncontrollable impulse, resulting from a mental condition caused by the injuries.”
— Arsnow v. Red Top Cab Co., 159 Wash. 137, 156 (1930)

“Taking the facts Plaintiffs have alleged as true, we are unable to say, as a matter of law, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the decedents’ deaths were not proximately caused by Amazon’s alleged tortious sales practices of the sodium nitrite.”
— Washington Supreme Court, Ruth Scott et al. v. Amazon.com, Inc., February 19, 2026

“The rule espoused in Arsnow that the act of suicide is a superseding cause as a matter of law does not control here. We hold that the act of suicide, as a matter of law, is not a superseding cause that precludes Plaintiffs’ WPLA claims.”
— Washington Supreme Court, Ruth Scott et al. v. Amazon.com, Inc., February 19, 2026

“Amazon’s arguments against finding that it owed a duty to exercise reasonable care are not persuasive. Amazon argues that it has no duty to exercise reasonable care to avoid the harm of its acts because the chattel’s ‘danger is obvious or known.’ The argument that Plaintiffs may have misused the product does not eliminate Amazon’s duty.”
— Washington Supreme Court, Ruth Scott et al. v. Amazon.com, Inc., February 19, 2026

“Whether harm falls within the scope of a duty turns on foreseeability and is generally a question of fact. Here, whether Plaintiffs’ harm, the act of suicide, is a harm within the foreseeable range of the duty of reasonable care that Amazon owed the decedents is a question of fact. As such, it is for the fact finder to decide whether the harm of suicide was within the scope of Amazon’s duty to Plaintiffs.”
— Washington Supreme Court, Ruth Scott et al. v. Amazon.com, Inc., February 19, 2026

Societal Impact Mapping

Legal Precedent: The Death Of The Suicide Rule

For nearly a century, Washington tort law held that suicide was a “superseding cause” that automatically barred wrongful death claims. The rule originated in Arsnow v. Red Top Cab Co. (1930), which held that a person who died by suicide made a “voluntary willful choice” and thus could not hold a tortfeasor liable for their death.

The Washington Supreme Court’s February 19, 2026 ruling in Scott v. Amazon explicitly rejected this doctrine:

“The act of suicide, as a matter of law, is not a superseding cause that precludes Plaintiffs’ WPLA claims.”

Justice Mungia’s concurrence went further, arguing that the suicide rule should be abolished entirely. She wrote:

“Dying by suicide is not a voluntary choice in the legal sense of the term. Instead, it is a decision that is made under duress. In the vast majority of cases, a person’s decision to end their life is connected to physical, mental, or emotional pain—they are experiencing more pain than they believe they can cope with. People who choose to die by suicide do not see any viable, life-affirming alternative. A decision made under duress is not a voluntary one.”

The Court’s ruling fundamentally alters the landscape of product liability law in Washington. Corporations can no longer invoke the suicide rule as an automatic shield against negligence claims. Instead, whether a decedent’s suicide was foreseeable—and whether the defendant’s conduct contributed to it—becomes a question of fact for a jury.

Algorithm Accountability: When Recommendation Engines Kill

The Scott v. Amazon ruling is the first Washington Supreme Court decision to directly address algorithmic liability. The plaintiffs did not merely allege that Amazon sold a dangerous product. They alleged that Amazon’s recommendation algorithm facilitated the assembly of a suicide kit.

This is not theoretical. According to the complaint, when a user viewed sodium nitrite on Amazon.com, the platform’s algorithm would suggest:

• Antiemetics (to prevent the body from rejecting the poison)
• Precision scales (to measure a lethal dose)
• Suicide instruction manuals (with step-by-step protocols)

Amazon’s search bar would autosuggest “sodium nitrite suicide” as a search term. Amazon sent reminder emails to users who had viewed the product. Amazon deleted reviews from grieving parents.

The Court held that these allegations were sufficient to state a claim for negligence under three legal theories:

1. Restatement (Second) of Torts § 281: Amazon had a duty to exercise reasonable care to prevent foreseeable misuse of a product it knew was being used for suicide.
2. Restatement (Second) of Torts § 390 (Negligent Entrustment): Amazon had a duty not to provide a dangerous product to people it knew were unable to safely use it because of their vulnerabilities.
3. Restatement (Second) of Torts § 388: Amazon had a duty to warn purchasers about the lethality, irreversibility, and pain caused by ingesting sodium nitrite.

Justice González’s concurrence emphasized the algorithmic element:

“Algorithms are not neutral. The algorithms were created by Amazon to sell more products. The plaintiffs’ allegations suggest that Amazon’s algorithm marketed despair and a tortured death. I see no difference between marketing these products together online from putting sodium nitrite, antinausea drugs, scales, and the suicide manual together on the shelf.”

This is a watershed moment. The ruling establishes that online platforms cannot hide behind the defense that their algorithms are “just code.” If an algorithm is designed to maximize sales, and if that algorithm foreseeably routes vulnerable users to products that will kill them, the platform can be held liable.

Public Health: The Sodium Nitrite Epidemic

Between 2019 and 2023, deaths by sodium nitrite poisoning increased by over 300 percent among adolescents in the United States. The chemical has become one of the most discussed methods of suicide on online forums such as “Sanctioned Suicide,” which actively promotes Amazon.com as a source.

Sodium nitrite is not regulated as a poison in the United States. It is classified as a food additive. There are no federal restrictions on its sale to minors. There are no labeling requirements warning of its lethality if ingested in pure form.

In the United Kingdom, sodium nitrite is classified as a “reportable substance” under the Poisons Act 1972. Retailers are required to verify the identity and age of purchasers and maintain records of all sales. Amazon complies with these restrictions in the UK.

Amazon does not apply the same safeguards in the United States.

Economic Inequality: Who Dies From Algorithm Negligence?

The four decedents in this case were between the ages of 17 and 27. All four lived at home with their parents. All four had the sodium nitrite delivered directly to their homes with one- or two-day shipping.

This is not an accident. Amazon’s business model is predicated on speed, convenience, and algorithmic personalization. The platform is designed to identify what a user wants and deliver it as quickly as possible. When what a user wants is a method of suicide, the algorithm does not hesitate.

Research on suicide demonstrates that access to means is a critical factor. Suicidal ideation is often transient. People who survive suicide attempts frequently report that they are grateful to be alive and that the urge to die passed. Barriers to access—waiting periods, age verification, warning labels—save lives.

Amazon’s model eliminates those barriers. It converts suicidal ideation into a frictionless transaction. The product arrives at the user’s door in 24 hours. No questions asked. No warnings given.

This is not a neutral market force. It is a design choice. And the people who die from it are disproportionately young, economically precarious, and in the midst of mental health crises.

The Cost Of A Life

What Now?

The Washington Supreme Court’s ruling does not resolve the underlying case. It reverses the Court of Appeals and reinstates the trial court’s denial of Amazon’s motion to dismiss. The case will now proceed to discovery and, potentially, trial.

If the plaintiffs prevail, it will establish that online platforms have a duty to prevent foreseeable misuse of dangerous products sold on their platforms. It will establish that algorithmic recommendations can constitute negligent entrustment. It will establish that suicide is not an automatic bar to recovery in wrongful death cases.

Who Is Responsible At Amazon?

Amazon.com, Inc. is a Delaware corporation. The company does not publicly disclose the names of executives responsible for product safety decisions or algorithm design. The following corporate roles are implicated by the allegations in this case:

• Chief Executive Officer
• Senior Vice President, Worldwide Operations
• Vice President, Customer Trust and Partner Support
• Director, Product Safety and Compliance
• Algorithm Engineering Team (Recommendations)

Regulatory Watchlist

The following agencies have jurisdiction over the conduct alleged in this case:

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Deceptive trade practices, consumer protection
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Mislabeling of sodium nitrite products
• Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): Sale of hazardous substances
• Department of Justice (DOJ): Antitrust enforcement, consumer protection

Organize. Resist. Build Alternatives.

This case is a reminder that corporate accountability does not happen automatically. It happens because grieving parents spent three years fighting Amazon in court. It happens because plaintiffs’ attorneys worked on contingency. It happens because the Washington Supreme Court was willing to overturn nearly a century of precedent.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You will be connected to a trained counselor. The call is free and confidential.

If you are organizing around mental health support, tech accountability, or product safety, consider:

• Building mutual aid networks that provide crisis support without police involvement
• Advocating for local and state legislation requiring age verification and warning labels for dangerous chemicals sold online
• Supporting plaintiffs’ attorneys who take on product liability cases against tech platforms
• Documenting and publicizing instances of algorithm-driven harm

Amazon will appeal this decision. The families of Mikael Scott, Tyler Muhleman, Demetrios Viglis, and Ava Passannanti will continue fighting. The outcome is not guaranteed.

But the law has moved. And it moved because people refused to accept that their children’s deaths were inevitable.