13-Year-Old Critically Injured After 'Huffing' Propane Gas

From the Hartford Courant in Connecticut

In early September, police and EMTs were called to respond to a case of a 13-year-old boy suffering an allergic reaction. It turns out it was not an allergic reaction; instead, he was suffering the effects of huffing propane.

The article notes he had suffered “a severe case of frostbite to his eyes, mouth, throat and lungs as he inhaled the gas that comes out of its container at 40 degrees below zero.” He also suffered significant tissue damage.

After being rushed to Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford, he was put into a medically induced coma. Earlier reports that the boy's hands were amputated are untrue, according to a spokesman for the boy's family. The boy, who was not identified, was released from the hospital Wednesday afternoon.

The director of the Connecticut Poison Center is quoted “A frostbite injury would appear as a burn. The end result is the same — damage to the tissue." He also remarked, “A severe case of inhalation of propane can interfere with blood circulation. The tissue then dies and it becomes gangrenous."

He also reports that “there are several cases a year in Connecticut in which youngsters are severely injured by inhaling propane to experience a high.”