# Most common poison used in non-suicide deaths? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 12, 2001, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953 "2001-08-12T22:53:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2001, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/1 "2001-08-12T22:53:20Z")
Very simple question, and (I hope) very simple answer: Where can I go to find out the most common poison used to kill people who don’t kill themselves? Or does someone actually know? My brother wants to develop a tolerance to whatever it is (he’s a few shy of a happy meal) . . . ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2001, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/2 "2001-08-12T23:48:56Z")
Your brother. A likely story! ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2001, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/3 "2001-08-12T23:59:20Z")
Alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/4 "2001-08-13T00:23:41Z")
Tobacco. ---
**Author:** ![hardygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@hardygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hardygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/5 "2001-08-13T00:27:50Z")
A somewhat more serious answer. 🙂 I would guess arsenic, just due to the fact it’s readily available. It is a common ingredient in most rat poisons, for example. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/6 "2001-08-13T00:30:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wishbone \* > \*\*Alcohol. \*\* I’d have to say that’s usually self-inflicted. And much of the time on purpose, so it’s hard to tell if it’s suicide or not. As for “non-suicide,” I think that falls into two categories: Accident and homicide. I assume you’re looking for homicide because accidental poisonings tend to be things like drain cleaner, anti-freeze, etc. and involve children or pets. I don’t have any hard answers, but I’d say you’d be looking for something which is hard for the subject to detect taste wise (such as Cyanide: almond flavored, or so I understand…or is that Arsenic?) or something that’s hard to trace; what that would be I have no idea. This should prove to be an interesting thread. ::diabolical laughter:: ---
**Author:** ![Oystaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@Oystaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oystaman)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/7 "2001-08-13T00:40:07Z")
I thought it was strychnine,. (I think that’s how you spell it) I thought that was what Rat Poison is made of. ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/8 "2001-08-13T00:45:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by voguevixen \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by wishbone \* > > \*\*Alcohol. \*\* > > I’d have to say that’s usually self-inflicted. And much of the time on purpose, so it’s hard to tell if it’s suicide or not. > \*\* Self-infliced, yes, but an act of suicide? I think not. Suicide is usually an instantaneous act. ---
**Author:** ![little\_me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@little\_me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/little_me)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/9 "2001-08-13T01:17:19Z")
I’ve heard for accidents (and i’d guess murder made to look like accident) it’s carbon monoxide. From cars idling in the garage or a leaf-clogged flue on a gas wall heater. The one that sickens, but I’m not sure of deaths, is carbon dioxide, which can stream off of dry ice, such as that packed with big cases of picnic hamburger patties. In a small storeroom, the CO[sub]2[/sub] sinks and will kill mice in the room, plus start to choke you, but you know something is wrong - it’s not a “silent” killer like CO. CO[sub]2[/sub] also is a danger from fire extinguishers used as “fog machines” in school productions, where it will flood the orchestra pit. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/10 "2001-08-13T03:03:57Z")
Do I smell almonds? Go away. ---
**Author:** ![DPWhite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@DPWhite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPWhite)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/11 "2001-08-13T03:23:38Z")
All of the majors, cyanide, arsenic and strychimine build up in the system and you don’t build up a tolerance, you get very sick and die. That is why they are called poisons. I understand that snake venom is something you can build up a tolerance for. (He said ending his sentence with a preposition.) ---
**Author:** ![DPWhite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@DPWhite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPWhite)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/12 "2001-08-13T03:24:39Z")
All of the majors, cyanide, arsenic and strychimine build up in the system and you don’t build up a tolerance, you get very sick and die. That is why they are called poisons. I understand that snake venom is something you can build up a tolerance for. (He said ending his sentence with a preposition.) Please let your “brother” know. ---
**Author:** ![Dani\_Filth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dani\_Filth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dani_Filth)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/13 "2001-08-13T17:57:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by voguevixen \* > such as Cyanide: almond flavored, or so I understand… \*\* From what i hear, cyanide smells like burnt almonds. Which reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from the Addams Family movie… When Morticia finds a bottle of cyanide in Fester’s bag she says, “Cyanide…? Why Fester, as if we’d run out!” 😃 -Dani ---
**Author:** ![tygre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@tygre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygre)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/14 "2001-08-13T22:55:56Z")
The ability to detect the “bitter almond” scent of cyanide is not present in everyone -apparently it is a genetic trait. My guess is CO (carbon monoxide) or arsenic. You could, I suppose, build a tolerance for arsenic, though why you would WANT to is another matter. And both are easily tested for at autopsy as well. –tygre ---
**Author:** ![dave316](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dave316](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dave316)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2001, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/15 "2001-08-14T00:59:45Z")
do you know that whatever poison you use will go into the soil which will adversely affect the groundwater. Try to be more friendly to the environment when your going to kill someone ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2001, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/16 "2001-08-14T01:36:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tygre \* > You could, I suppose, build a tolerance for arsenic, though why you would WANT to is another matter. Maybe. Sorta. Tolerance has been induced in animal cells in the lab, but never human cells. The stuff is diabetogenic, carcinogenic, and can cause neural disorders–quite aside from its direct toxicity; humans cells seem particularly vulnerable to its disruptive effects. So: It makes you sick, it will kill you if you screw up the dosage, and it will eventually kill you anyway. Not a good plan–metal and metalloid poisons are not your friends. Now, a nice cup of foxglove tea… ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2001, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-poison-used-in-non-suicide-deaths/75953/17 "2001-08-14T02:02:59Z")
Iocaine powder… I live on a well. I have trace amounts of arsenic in my water. I have never been healthier in my life. For $29.95, I will send anyone interested in the healing waters of Oxford Michigan directly to their house. Blessed by a local shaman/vodoo/priest/rabbi-all in one Reverend Bob, who lives at the Down On Your Luck homeless shelter.