Government restricts cyanide sales after suspicious suicides

The Ministry of Environment and Urbanization on Friday banned the retail and online sale of cyanide to the public after a series of questionable murder-suicide cases involving the dangerous compound made headlines recently.

According to a decree published in the Official Gazette, the sale of any chemical compound with cyanide in it will be subjected to special permits and will only be allowed for commercial sales. Sellers are also required to use special packaging with warning labels on them.

The highly toxic compound became a point of discussion after it was used in several murder-suicide incidents that wiped out entire families. Earlier this month, four adult siblings were found dead in their apartment due to cyanide poisoning in Istanbul.

Cyanide is widely used in manufacturing, from pest control and photography to making textiles, plastics and cleaning jewelry, the compound is of great importance for a number of industries.

As a gas, hydrogen cyanide was used in Nazi extermination camps. The KGB also used the chemical in many assassination attempts against Ukrainian opposition figures.