US develops new method for death penalty

In the US state of Alabama, Kenneth Eugene Smith, who previously survived an attempt to execute him by lethal injection in 2022, is scheduled to be executed by nitrogen gas on Thursday.

FIRST TIME SINCE 1982 

If carried out, it will be the first time a new execution method has been implemented since the introduction of lethal injection in 1982. The state argues that nitrogen gas will cause rapid loss of consciousness, but critics of the decision liken this previously unused execution method to human experimentation.

Nitrogen gas execution causes death by forcing the inmate to inhale pure nitrogen, depriving them of the oxygen needed to maintain bodily functions. No state in the US has used nitrogen gas to carry out a death sentence until now.

HOW IS THE EXECUTION CARRIED OUT?

As the drugs used in injections, the most common execution method in the United States, have become increasingly difficult to obtain, some states are looking for new ways to execute inmates. Nitrogen, a colorless and odorless gas, makes up 78% of the air breathed by humans and is a harmless gas when inhaled with appropriate levels of oxygen.

According to the plan, after Kenneth Eugene Smith is strapped to a gurney in the execution chamber, a NIOSH-approved Type-C air respirator will be placed on his face. The warden will then read the death warrant and ask Smith if he has any final words before activating the "nitrogen gas system" from another room.

According to the state protocol, nitrogen gas will be administered for at least 15 minutes.

According to the Alabama Attorney General's Office, nitrogen gas causes loss of consciousness within seconds and death within minutes.