If I recall correctly, the main problem with nitrogen execution (apart from the death penalty itself) is that they do it very badly, as in they don’t vent the CO2 gas, and the inmate painfully suffocates
I don’t know what kind of mask they’re using, but a standard oxygen mask at a hospital doesn’t exactly vent the exhale either. It provides a constant flow of gas into the mask, maintaining positive pressure so every inhalation comes through the mask and every exhalation escapes around it.
It doesn’t take many breaths of nitrogen to pass out - likely not enough time for CO₂ levels to rise significantly anyway. The issue with CO₂ isn’t that it’s painful but that it triggers panic, since that buildup is what causes the sensation of suffocation, not the lack of oxygen itself. In either case, the cause of death is still suffocation - they’re simply not getting oxygen.
If I recall correctly, the main problem with nitrogen execution (apart from the death penalty itself) is that they do it very badly, as in they don’t vent the CO2 gas, and the inmate painfully suffocates
I don’t know what kind of mask they’re using, but a standard oxygen mask at a hospital doesn’t exactly vent the exhale either. It provides a constant flow of gas into the mask, maintaining positive pressure so every inhalation comes through the mask and every exhalation escapes around it.
It doesn’t take many breaths of nitrogen to pass out - likely not enough time for CO₂ levels to rise significantly anyway. The issue with CO₂ isn’t that it’s painful but that it triggers panic, since that buildup is what causes the sensation of suffocation, not the lack of oxygen itself. In either case, the cause of death is still suffocation - they’re simply not getting oxygen.