Babysitter Caught Huffing From Air Conditioning Unit in Ohio

Via the Norwalk Reflector in Ohio:

A 19 year old female babysitter was supposed to be watching an 8 year old boy and a 9 year old girl. Instead, she was caught huffing refrigerant out of a central air conditioning unit this past weekend. Police responded to the incident.

California Girl Dead After Huffing From Air Conditioner

Via the San Bernardino Sun in California:


A 12 year old girl is dead after huffing refrigerant from an air conditioning unit in California.

On February 28^th, her mom received a call from her family telling her they had found the girl on the bathroom floor of her grandmother’s house, where she lived, and she wasn’t breathing. Four days later she was taken off life support. The girl’s cousins admitted to having huffed previously and noted it was a common occurrence in their middle school.

Minnesota Man Arrested After Huffing From Air Conditioning Unit

Via Sun This Week in Minnesota:

A 37-year old man who last fall had been charged with felony theft plead guilty last month in court. The man is accused of inhaling refrigerant from his neighbors’ air conditioners to get high. The theft is considered a felony because the estimated repair costs total nearly $1,800.

Police responded to a call regarding a trespasser and found the man unconscious by the air conditioner. When he came to the man admitted he had been huffing refrigerant from the unit. The next night police responded to a call for trespassing and once again found the man. Five residents have been affected and the police report notes that the man was hospitalized on at least two occasions after huffing refrigerant.

Father Discovers Son Dead Near Neighbor’s Air Conditioning Unit

Via NewsOK in Oklahoma

On Friday, a 13-year-old boy was found unresponsive by his father, lying next to an air conditioning unit in his neighbor’s yard. Police say it appears the boy was inhaling refrigerant before his death. NewsOK has included the heartbreaking 911 call during the moment the father discovers his son’s body. The father thinks his son learned how to inhale refrigerant from a friend who watched a video on the internet.

Man Huffs $1,800 Worth of Neighbors’ Refrigerant, Charged With Theft

Via AppleValleyPatch in Minnesota

A 36-year-old Minnesota man has been charged with theft after inhaling almost $1,800 worth of refrigerant from the air conditioning systems of five of his neighbors. Last fall, the man was discovered multiple times by his neighbors slumped in their yards between the house and the air conditioning unit. Whenever police arrived, he would not respond and appeared unconscious. The man admitted to police he had inhaled refrigerant and was taken to the hospital. The felony charge of theft carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Huffing Refrigerant Can Freeze Lungs, Cause Brain Damage

via KING 5 in Washington

A shocking new trend has emerged among teens: huffing refrigerant, the gas found in air conditioning systems. Refrigerant causes a quick high similar to alcohol intoxication. Gail Henry says it’s not worth it – her 18-year-old son was found dead after huffing refrigerant. Huffing the gas can make your lungs freeze, cause frostbite to your airway, a loss of consciousness, sudden cardiac death, and brain damage.

Some air conditioning service businesses report customers call believing they have a refrigerant leak only to find out someone has been siphoning off the gas.

Installation of Air Conditioning Locks on the Rise

As huffing refrigerant continues to grow in popularity among teens air conditioning companies are capping more and more units to prevent the disturbance.

In the last week four cases of missing refrigerant were reported.

For about $40 to $50 the lock can be installed for added security and peace of mind.

Via ksl.com in Salt Lake City, UT

Surge in Teens Huffing Refrigerant Has Georgia Poison Control on High Alert

A surge in teens huffing has prompted Poison Control to add freon to the list of abused inhalants.
Freon is a refrigerant used in air conditioners.

The number of cases of teens pumping the refrigerant out of air conditioners to get high is on the rise.

Officials say it can be deadly after one dose.

According to the Director of the Georgia Poison Control, there has been an increase in inhalant abuse cases from five in 2009 and 2010 to six through May of this year.

The Poison Center stated that there had been no reported deaths in Georgia from huffing refrigerant just yet.

Via wsbtv.com Atlanta, GA

Teen in Tulsa Dies From a Laughing Gas Overdose

Via fox23.com Tulsa, OK

A 19-year-old male custodian is suspected to have over dosed on laughing gas after workers found him dead in a room at St. Francis Medical Building.

In the last year there have been a handful of deaths in Tulsa connected to huffing.

At least two people have died from huffing refrigerant from air conditioning units.

Just a day before the death of the 19-year-old male, police encountered another huffing incident with a group of burglars in a pursuit who were suspected of huffing gold spray paint.

Three obvious signs to that someone you know may be addicted to inhalants are:

Frostbite on fingers (refrigerant users)

Coloring around the mouth (spray paint users)

Empty bags with paint residue and or bottles and cans littered in a room/car

Refrigerant Thefts in Tennessee

From VolunteerTV.Com in Tennessee:

Sevier County, TN authorities are concerned about several recent refrigerant thefts and they fear that the refrigerant is being used as an inhalant by at least two individuals.

The article describes the most recent case. Last Sunday, two young males in a “blue late model Honda civic with Tennessee tags” approached the heating and ventilation system of a local drug store. Surveillance cameras caught the incident and the owners soon noticed the system wasn’t working as the refrigerant has been stolen.

Death Deemed Preventable

From Lufkin Daily News in Texas

Employees at a local Lufkin, TX repair and mechanics store stumbled upon the body of a former employee Monday morning, a 40 year old Lufkin man. Although Police will not officially determine the cause of death until final autopsy results are released; it is clear that the victim was actively ‘huffing’ a common type of refrigerator and air conditioning coolant.

Found with a can of coolant and “a black garbage bag over his head” investigators confidently presume the victim was inhaling the substance at the time of his death.

Police were still awaiting final autopsy results upon publication of Lufkin Daily’s original report. ACE will continue to investigate this tragic incident; providing follow up information as it becomes available.