U.S. House passes legislation banning the sale of a poison. Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy was co-sponsor

Legislation that would ban the consumer sale of concentrated sodium nitrite, which officials say has seen an increase in use by youth to attempt suicide, passed the U.S. House and is heading to the Senate where it appears to have support.

Sodium nitrite is typically sold at 100% concentration. At these high concentration levels, ingesting sodium nitrite has become common among teenagers and young adults who die by suicide. Several states have already banned its sale.

The Youth Poisoning and Protection Act bans the consumer sale of concentrated sodium nitrite, as concentrations above 10% are considered hazardous products.

Sodium nitrite is a chemical that is useful for curing meats, treating wood and more. The bill does not conflict with commercial uses of sodium nitrite.

Utah 2nd District Rep. Celeste Maloy was a co-sponsor of the Youth Poisoning and Protection Act, which had earlier been sponsored by Rep. Chris Stewart, who Maloy replaced in the 2nd District.

“One of my first acts in Congress was co-sponsoring this bill because I’ve seen how too many of Utah’s families have lost young people to suicide. It’s the leading cause of death for teens in our state. With passage of this bill, we are working to restrict a top suicide poison, sodium nitrite, at lethal concentration levels without interfering in its key commercial uses,” Maloy said in a statement shared with the Deseret News.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 or chatting online at 988lifeline.org.