Alabama wants executions by nitrogen hypoxia: What is it?

By KIM CHANDLER
Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama told a federal judge that it could be ready as soon as next week to use a new, untried execution method called nitrogen hypoxia to carry out a death sentence. Nitrogen hypoxia is a proposed execution method in which death would be caused by forcing the inmate to breathe only nitrogen, thereby depriving the person of oxygen needed to maintain bodily functions. Three states have authorized nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method, but no state has used it to carry out an execution.