Dusting On the Rise in North Texas

A Fort Worth news story sheds light on a growing problem in North Texas - abusing dust removers, or dusters. It's written for parents who are unaware or uninformed about this trend. Dusters are a popular inhalant because they aren't just compressed air - they contain a chemical that replaces oxygen when huffed, which is what produces the high. The story describes how three teenagers from Sacramento were killed after the driver inhaled dust remover and crashed the car at ninety miles an hour. The story also made note of the increased prevalance of YouTube videos being posted showing teens getting high off of inhalants.

Hollie Higgins of the Dallas Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse commented on the YouTube video being posted online. "Our worry there is, it's going to continue the prevalence of the use," she said, "because it's making it seem normal. [...]

The YouTube videos show teens inhaling the product and commenting on the resulting high.

"One more time, one more time, more, more."
"I can't feel my face."
"Oh yeah, another high, baby."
"It's great, oh my God."

The users might not be saying such things if they knew that dusting could kill them instantly."

It's important for parents to recognize that computer dusters are one of the most abused inhalants and to note any suspicious behavior from their child - cans of dusters in the trash, several canisters on their desk or around their room, especially by the bed, as well as receipts for dusters.