Doctors are among those calling for tighter regulation of sodium nitrite as a growing number of Canadians are dying after intentionally ingesting unsafe quantities of the common food preservative in its pure form.
Sodium nitrite, not to be confused with naturally-occurring sodium nitrate, is a synthetic curing salt. It’s commonly used to preserve meats, but can be lethal when ingested in certain doses. Forensic pathologists say people with intent to self-harm have been purchasing it online following advice found in pro-suicide forums for several years. Ontario saw at least 23 sodium nitrite poisoning deaths in 2019 and 2020, according to a study released in 2021 by scientists from the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service (OFPS).
Dr. Tyler Hickey, lead author of the study, told CTVNews.ca “almost all” of those deaths were ruled to be intentional. Hickey encountered his first death by sodium nitrite poisoning in 2019, while working as a forensic pathology fellow in Toronto.
“Prior to that time, I’m not sure I had any familiarity with these substances being used in this way,” he told CTVNews.ca.
As a forensic pathologist, part of Hickey’s job is to monitor the ways people die, and then share that information with public health systems. “Noting that there appeared to be a newer and novel way people were ending their lives, I did a bit more reading around the topic and around those first couple cases,” he said, “and it was through that reading that I learned more about these support groups.”
The earliest example Hickey found of an intentional death by sodium nitrite poisoning was recorded in New Zealand in 2010. In the United States, the National Poison Data System recorded 47 cases of sodium nitrite poisoning between 2015 and 2020, most of which occurred in 2019 and 2020. National figures for Canada are not available because this country does not collect national data from medical examiners, coroners or poison centers about sodium nitrite poisoning.
From what he’s seen, though, Hickey believes the trend is growing.
For several years, sodium nitrite has been promoted in pro-suicide online communities like the ones Hickey discovered, due to its availability via online vendors and consumer marketplaces like Amazon.
Sodium nitrite is permitted as a food additive in Canada and is subject to Food and Drug regulations to ensure it is in quantities that are safe for consumption. However, Hickey believes lawmakers should weigh its value as an easily-accessed food preservative against its danger… Source: cbc.ca
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
