I am amazed!  In the last seven days this blog has been found 392 times utilizing various search terms.  Eighty-eight percent, or 345, of those search terms are a variation of “detergent suicide recipe” or “how to make hydrogen sulfide”.  This is the result of my post titled “Bloomberg Publishes Suicide Gas Recipe” where I, with some help from my friend Nick and fellow blogger Ken at What Japan Thinks, brought to light what we all agreed was irresponsible and sensational journalism by  Bloomberg on an alarming suicide trend in Japan which is injuring or killing innocent bystanders.

Bloomberg ultimately corrected the article to delete the ‘recipe’ and product links.  I purposely did not link to the article and it is no longer available for viewing online.

But back to the to search engine terms…why are people searching for information on hydrogen sulfide?

The Australian Government has produced a Hydrogen Sulfide Fact Sheet that states the following:

“Hydrogen sulfide is used in the manufacture of pulp and paper (digesting agent), in tanneries and in sulfide ores. Most man made hydrogen sulfide is produced as a by-product of industry, rather than for industry.

Hydrogen sulfide is found in coal pits, volcanic gases, natural gas wells, sulfur springs, and decaying organic matter which contains sulfur.

It is not believed that there are any consumer products that contain hydrogen sulfide. Some consumer products may release hydrogen sulfide, such as septic tanks and the burning of coal or oil.”

A couple of other sites confirm that there is no common use for hydrogen sulfide so I must conclude that this isn’t something the everyday person would need to know or would be curious about.   So now I am back to the question above….

Are these searches the result of broad reporting on this alarming suicide trend in Japan?

Or, are they people who, for whatever reason, actually want to learn how to make hydrogen sulfide?

What do you think? Why are people searching for information on “how to make hydrogen sulfide”?