Alabama Man Attacks Police Officer With Scissors After Huffing

Via WBRC in Alabama:

A man faces two attempted murder charges after an alleged huffing related incident.

Earlier this month the man’s parents went to his house and called the police after they could see him lying unresponsive on a bed. When a police officer and fireman approached the man’s body, he jumped up and attempted to attack them with scissors.

The article notes neighbors reported the man as being a good person and that “huffing may have changed his personality.” The police detective makes a good point about inhalant abuse- "It was not only a danger to yourself but as we can see in this case you can be a danger to other people,"

Utah Teen Crashes Car Into House After Huffing Behind The Wheel

Via the Salt Lake Tribune and Fox 13 TV in Utah:

Last Friday afternoon, a 17 year old male teen and his two passengers were allegedly huffing computer dusting spray behind the wheel when the driver passed out, causing the car to crash into a house. The driver was charged with DUI and the passengers were released to the custody of their parents. The Fox 13 piece has images of the damage to the home.

Wisconsin Teen Caught Huffing "Near Explosive Level of Propane" at Home

Via MyCommunity Now in Glendale, Wisconsin:

A 17 year old male has been charged with two counts of felony burglary and two misdemeanor counts of “intentionally inhaling a hazardous substance” after family members found him huffing on two occasions.

On January 31 officers were called to a home after the homeowner’s daughters had called their father complaining of a strong smell of propane coming from the home.  The father told officers he believed his stepson was huffing propane in the home. Frighteningly, when the fire department arrived, they noted the “level of propane inside the home was at a "near explosive" level.”  They also noted two five-ounce aerosol cans of hairspray and a 10-ounce can of air freshener, which he admitted to huffing, were found empty in the boy’s bedroom. 

Previously on January 24^th the homeowner’s daughters had seen the boy huff two-thirds of a 20-pound tank of propane in the home. He suffered cold burns to his right knuckles and upper left arm during that incident. He said he “learned about huffing propane from the Internet and said that he wasn't trying to harm himself, but only wanted to get high.” He also noted he huffed the propane “by using a credit card and screwdriver to access tanks in a locked garage.”

22 Year Old's Death Attributable to Inhalant Abuse

Via the News Observer in North Carolina:

An autopsy released last week revealed that the 22 year old male who was found face-down and unresponsive in his bed earlier this year died from huffing computer dusting spray.

Police found the man at his off campus house on February 22, a can of the computer duster with him in his bed and several empty cans in the room.  The report also notes he had small amounts of the anti-anxiety drug alprazolam and painkiller oxycodone in his system “which would have increased the spray’s toxic effects.” He also had “signs of cardiovascular disease, which would make him more susceptible to the spray.”

According to the autopsy:  “Given the autopsy and investigative findings, it is my opinion that the cause of death in this case is 1,1 difluoroethane toxicity. This substance, found in aerosol computer duster/cleaner spray, can have cardiotoxic effects, and likely caused an acute cardiac arrhythmia in the decedent.”

Serial Huffer Arrested in Florida

Via the Sun Sentinel in Florida:

A 40 year old woman was arrested after stealing cans of computer duster to “keep the voices away.”

The report notes she walked into a local Wal-Mart, took two cans of duster from the shelf, put them in a bag and left the store without paying.  Two hours later she walked back into the same store, went to the same section and placed two more bags of computer duster in her bag. Guards stopped the woman as she attempted to exit the store.  She was arrested and police records showed she had “at least 13 previous arrests dating back to 2008 that were related to inhaling or ingesting harmful chemicals.”

Minnesota Man Arrested After Huffing and Passing Out at Local Store

Via the Woodbury Patch in Minnesota:

Police were called to a local Target for a report of a man huffing outside the store’s entrance and staggering inside and outside the store. When they arrived they found him passed out with several cans surrounding him.  He was treated and transported to the county jail.