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.”