Adolescents have died huffing from cans of Dust-Off brand compressed air.

[TheFiresInTheSky]

A story i found on the web.

First IM going to tell you a little about me and my family. My name is Jeff. I am a Police Officer for a city which is known nationwide for its crime rate. We have a lot of gangs and drugs. At one point we were # 2 in the nation in homicides per capita. I also have a police K-9 named Thor. He was certified in drugs and general duty. He retired at 3 years old because he was shot in the line of duty. He lives with us now and I still train with him because he likes it. I always liked the fact that there was no way to bring drugs into my house. Thor wouldn't allow it. He would tell on you. The reason I say this is so you understand that I know about drugs. I have taught in schools about drugs. My wife asks all our kids at least once a week if they used any drugs. Makes them promise they wont.

 

I like building computers occasionally and started building a new one in February 2005. I also was working on some of my older computers. They were full of dust so on one of my trips to the computer store I bought a 3 pack of DUST OFF. Dust Off is a can of compressed air to blow dust off a computer. A few weeks later when I went to use them they were all used. I talked to my kids and my 2 sons both said they had used them on their computer and messing around with them. I yelled at them for wasting the 10 dollars I paid for them. On February 28 I went back to the computer store. They didn't have the 3 pack which I had bought on sale so I bought a single jumbo can of Dust Off. I went home and set it down beside my computer.

 

On March 1st I left for work at 10 PM. At 11 PM my wife went down and kissed Kyle goodnight. At 530 am the next morning Kathy went downstairs to wake Kyle up for school, before she left for work. He was sitting up in bed with his legs crossed and his head leaning over. She called to him a few times to get up. He didn't move. He would sometimes tease her like this and pretend he fell back asleep. He was never easy to get up. She went in and shook his arm. He fell over. He was pale white and had the straw from the Dust Off can coming out of his mouth. He had the new can of Dust Off in his hands. Kyle was dead.

 

I am a police officer and I had never heard of this. My wife is a nurse and she had never heard of this. We later found out from the coroner, after the autopsy, that only the propellant from the can of Dust off was in his system. No other drugs. Kyle had died between midnight and 1 Am.

 

I found out that using Dust Off is being done mostly by kids ages 9 through 15. They even have a name for it. It's called dusting. A take off from the Dust Off name. It gives them a slight high for about 10 seconds. It makes them dizzy. A boy who lives down the street from us showed Kyle how to do this about a month before. Kyle showed his best friend. Told him it was cool and it couldn't hurt you. Its just compressed air. It cant hurt you. His best friend said no.

 

Kyle's death

 

Kyle was wrong. It's not just compressed air. It also contains a propellant. I think its R2. Its a refrigerant like what is used in your refrigerator. It is a heavy gas. Heavier than air. When you inhale it, it fills your lungs and keeps the good air, with oxygen, out. That's why you feel dizzy, buzzed. It decreases the oxygen to your brain, to your heart. Kyle was right. It cant hurt you. IT KILLS YOU. The horrible part about this is there is no warning. There is no level that kills you. It's not cumulative or an overdose; it can just go randomly, terribly wrong. Roll the dice and if your number comes up you die. ITS NOT AN OVERDOSE. Its Russian roulette. You don't die later. Or not feel good and say I've had too much. You usually die as your breathing it in. If not you die within 2 seconds of finishing "the hit." That's why the straw was still in Kyle's mouth when he died. Why his eye's were still open.

 

The experts want to call this huffing. The kids don't believe its huffing. As adults we tend to lump many things together. But it doesn't fit here. And that's why its more accepted. There is no chemical reaction. no strong odor. It doesn't follow the huffing signals. Kyle complained a few days before he died of his tongue hurting. It probably did. The propellant causes frostbite. If I had only known.

 

Its easy to say hay, its my life and I'll do what I want. But it isn't. Others are always effected. This has forever changed our family's life. I have a hole in my heart and soul that can never be fixed. The pain is so immense I cant describe it. There's nowhere to run from it. I cry all the time and I don't ever cry. I do what I'm supposed to do but I don't really care. My kids are messed up. One wont talk about it. The other will only sleep in our room at night. And my wife, I cant even describe how bad she is taking this. I thought we were safe because of Thor. I thought we were safe because we knew about drugs and talked to our kids about them.

 

After Kyle died another story came out. A Probation Officer went to the school system next to ours to speak with a student. While there he found a student using Dust Off in the bathroom. This student told him about another student who also had some in his locker. This is a rather affluent school system. They will tell you they don't have a drug problem there. They don't even have a dare or plus program there. So rather than tell everyone about this "new" way of getting high they found, they hid it. The probation officer told the media after Kyle's death and they, the school, then admitted to it. I know that if they would have told the media and I had heard, it wouldn't have been in my house.

 

We need to get this out of our homes and school computer labs.

 

Using Dust Off isn't new and some "professionals" do know about. It just isn't talked about much, except by the kids. They know about it.

 

April 2nd was 1 month since Kyle died. April 5th would have been his 15th birthday. And every weekday I catch myself sitting on the living room couch at 2:30 in the afternoon and waiting to see him get off the bus. I know Kyle is in heaven but I cant help but wonder If I died and went to Hell.

link, http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_dust_off.htm

[1984]

Its amazing what people will do for a "fix". Ive met people that use glue, mouthwash, contact cement, paint, furniture finish and lots of other gross stuff to get high. It makes their brains mush and kills their insides.

 

too bad.

[Glenn]

"Canned air" is not air at all. It's entirely propellant ... either difluoroethane or tetrafluoroethane. Dust Off is difluoroethane, which should be banned ... this was circulated by our safety officer at work Hazard alert

 

EDIT: If you use canned air, make sure it's tetrafluoroethane which is non-flammable (but don't inhale the damn stuff).

[rridgely]

Look at what it did to that car....

[zaphirer]

--

[Andavari]

I think it was this year, or last year when there was some news report of kids inhaling that crap and about them dying. And I wouldn't doubt if a kid had seen some report such as that it could put they ideal in their mind. Every generation seems to want a quick fix, back years ago I remember hearing about kids putting their faces near the exhaust of a car to get a buzz.

 

In any event even the most aggressive anti-drug education in school or at home isn't going to save everyone, especially since some people are just too curious for their own good.

Who the hell would want to get high anyways? I prefer to have control over my bodily functions at all times. 16 and haven't had a drink, smoke, or any drugs... intend on keeping it that way.

 

That's been my outlook forever and still is, minus the fact that I now smoke cigs. That belief was easily re-enforced when going out with friends aeons ago when I was a teenager (literally half a lifetime ago) and seeing how f'd up they'd get on alcohol (and I can't stand being around some drunk bastard that smells like beer it turns my stomach and they're more likely to get punched-out), but luckily the people I hung out with didn't do any illegal drugs or stupid ways of getting a buzz.

[Eldmannen]

Sorry to hear.

 

Now your kids and wife take this hard, and its natural for them to take it hard. It is very difficult when a loved one have passed away. They don't know what to say, what to feel, what to think, what todo. They feel just empty. Maybe they all need support, maybe this is the time they need it most, or maybe they just need some time alone, I don't know.

Maybe you should visit a family therapeutic or visit a psychologist and just go there a couple of times and talk about it, maybe it makes you feel better.

Much emotions and and emotional stress.

 

Maybe you even blame yourself for bringing home that dust off. People tend to try to find reasons to blame themselves.

 

You mentioned that this kind of stuff needs gets out of our homes. But there is plenty of ways that people, especially kids can get hurt or killed. You probably have cleaning chemicals like chlorine, floor polish, perhaps Methylated spirit and probably other chemicals that you use in your home for cleaning or when grilling or various other purposes. And if you have a car and a garage then you probably have motor oils, and various kinds of oils and cleaning chemicals and such. It is not uncommon to have these kinds of things, and it is not bad, but these like alot of other things in life can be dangerous when handled unproperly.

 

As a parent you try to take care of your kids the best way possible, and wish them the best and try to protect them from all kinds of dangers. But they are individuals of their own, with their own free will, they are young, unexperienced, curious and often naive. They often think that they know best, and often they don't think things through and think what could be the consequence of an action. Even if he didn't have access to that can, hes friends did, and they probably sniffed it before together, and probably would do it later again.

[1984]

Good point Eldmannen. In my garage I have a cabinet up high (i have to stand on a stool to access it) with all chemicals, oils, etc. so that its out of reach of the children. Its amazing how hard it is to "childproof" your home. With cleaning solutions inside to lock down, heavy objects to secure to keep from falling on them, window blind strings to be hung up, etc. you really have to stay on top of things.

 

Kids will be kids. You can install in them all sorts of values, but in the end they will make their own decisions with this sort of thing. You simply have to install the ability to decisively make their actions fit their wants/needs in life into them while young and hope for the best.

 

Zaphirer:

 

Thats good to hear. Thats a very mature decision to make at your age. I hope you follow through with that. You will reap the benefits.

 

I started smoking at 14 and quit at 26. It was tough to quit. I recently (August 31) made the life decision to no longer drink liquor. period. i dont see any redeeming value in it. And as for drugs, well i simply dont do those.

[Andavari]

Good point Eldmannen.

Agreed! He put that eloquently!

[New_Age]

I think doin drugs is a stupid Idea in the first place. I hate teens who do them just because others do. They think they're all cool with doin it. My GF has been smoking about when she was 13 I believe and she didn't smoke alot considering she lives with her parents. Her parents smoke so... why can't she? I see no harm in that. If they smoke *You can smoke but that's her or your choice. My Mom and step-dad smoke. I tried smoking but didn't like it. My GF has now stopped smoking just for me I'm very proud of her for doin that for me.

 

On teens smoking weed and S*** go ahead! See you guys in H***!!! <<< That makes me sick seeing teens doin that. Yes... I hanged out with some that did but that was back in 10th grade and I have changed since then for the better.

 

When have children of my own I will *MAKE SURE they can't go in reach of any Chemicals.

[Eldmannen]

When have children of my own I will *MAKE SURE they can't go in reach of any Chemicals.

 

You can try your best to prevent them from getting their hands on chemicals by keeping them in a secure placed locked away, and by informing them of the dangerous. But you can never make sure they wont get their hands on them. Kids even sniff gas from lighters, anyone can get their hands on a lighter today.

[kobrakommander56]

I've done a majority of drugs recreationally, yes, I enjoyed them and the experiences but I was very responsible with everything I did. One thing that seperated me from others is that I never smoked to get "Stoned" I only smoked a little so that i could relax and get chilled. I've typed so many things on this website when I was under the influence. But wiht anything of these sorts, weed, speed, drinking. I preach the utmost responsiblity on these things, cause if you are going to inebriate or alter your state of mind, you better know what the hell you are doing or you are going to hurt yourself. I have always had full knowledge of what i was doing, I can tell you the chemical compounds of the stuff i've done, i can tell you how it affects your serotonin and dopamine, but I've always researched these things fully out of curiousity and such. What bothers me these days is how kids just get there hands on anything to impair themselves.ok I'm 16, so I can't really say im old and blah blah, but I've never done anything like inhalants, that stuff is extremely dangerous to your physical and mental health, and I don't condone it. Recently though I have quit drinking and smoking because I've started bodybuilding and it doesn't fit in to my diet, and I've been getting healthier physically since then. I don't want to drag this on any longer, but I'm very sorry about your loss, and I can understand where you are coming from, and for any of you that plan on doing any experimenting just don't touch the stuff under your sink, its not made for human consumption.

[rridgely]

Are you serious or...is it some kind of joke?

I actually cant tell anymore in your posts.

[Andavari]

For everyone that thinks this is about Aaron read the first line of his post (something which even I missed at first):

A story i found on the web.

 

[Eldmannen]

For everyone that thinks this is about Aaron read the first line of his post (something which even I missed at first):

 

As far as I know, it wasn't there at first, he forgot to write that.

[JohnDemolition]

he also forgot to put quote tags. shame on you aaron

[Sniper]

For everyone that thinks this is about Aaron read the first line of his post (something which even I missed at first):

 

It happened in the Cleveland area, March 2005.

 

Snopes

[1984]

I've done a majority of drugs recreationally, yes, I enjoyed them and the experiences but I was very responsible with everything I did. One thing that seperated me from others is that I never smoked to get "Stoned" I only smoked a little so that i could relax and get chilled. I've typed so many things on this website when I was under the influence. But wiht anything of these sorts, weed, speed, drinking. I preach the utmost responsiblity on these things, cause if you are going to inebriate or alter your state of mind, you better know what the hell you are doing or you are going to hurt yourself. I have always had full knowledge of what i was doing, I can tell you the chemical compounds of the stuff i've done, i can tell you how it affects your serotonin and dopamine, but I've always researched these things fully out of curiousity and such. What bothers me these days is how kids just get there hands on anything to impair themselves.ok I'm 16, so I can't really say im old and blah blah, but I've never done anything like inhalants, that stuff is extremely dangerous to your physical and mental health, and I don't condone it. Recently though I have quit drinking and smoking because I've started bodybuilding and it doesn't fit in to my diet, and I've been getting healthier physically since then. I don't want to drag this on any longer, but I'm very sorry about your loss, and I can understand where you are coming from, and for any of you that plan on doing any experimenting just don't touch the stuff under your sink, its not made for human consumption.

 

 

good for you! bodybuilding (as long as you stay free from the juice) is an excellent healthy, lifelong committment that pays back its effort a million times over. it can be powerful for strengthening both mind and body with the commitment and dedication that it takes to succeed. just dont get taken in by all the hype from the mags and such as these dudes are all roided up no matter what they say.

[kobrakommander56]

yeah, i ran the other day, and man, i didnt even get winded and the person next to me was DYING. I know I'm getting healthier but it might just be the Creatine Monohydrate thats been giving me this endurance.

[PS3]

dang! i cant believe i read all that!!

 

useless facts.