Chemical Used in Suicides Faces Sales Ban Under Proposed Law

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers is introducing legislation to ban the sale of highly concentrated sodium nitrite, a chemical sold by Amazon.com Inc. and some online retailers that has been used by dozens of teenagers and others to kill themselves.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) among others, would stop the sale of the chemical to consumers while still allowing business-to-business transactions. The chemical is used in less concentrated form by businesses for food preservation.

“In high concentrations, sodium nitrite is as lethal as some of the most widely regulated poisons on ...