Indiana Man Dies from Huffing

via wane.com

A 34-year-old man died after huffing. Police and paramedics arrived at his home early that morning. Police saw him huffing from an aerosol can, the man became combative when police took the can away. Two tasers were reportedly required to subdue and handcuff him. He was taken by police to the emergency room but was pronounced dead shortly after. An autopsy report will be available within a few weeks. The man had a long history of drug abuse.

Man Semi-Conscious After Huffing

via NH1

A New Hampshire man appeared to be huffing when a report was made to the police. A police officer found the man semi-conscious. He was arrested after paramedics were called to the scene. His court date is set for early next month.

Man Found Unconscious Twice in One Day

Via WINK in Florida:

Wednesday afternoon in Florida, officers found a man passed out in some bushes, but he refused medical treatment. Although officers did find an empty aerosol can, they did not see the man inhaling its contents, so he was released.

Later that afternoon, another police officer found the man unconscious in the bushes near a mall parking lot with an aerosol can in his hand. When the man woke up, the officer observed that he “appeared to be under the influence of something.”

The man refused medical treatment once again. EMS personnel said that this was the fifth time that week they had been sent out for the same man for the same thing.

The man revealed that after the earlier call, he had purchased another aerosol can at the mall. He said, “I huff the can because it’s a quick way to escape from everything.”

He was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for Inhalation of a Harmful Chemical Substance.

Inhalant Abuse in Australia

Via the Waverly Reader in Australia:

An alarming number of inhalant abuse related paramedic calls in the community of Monash is causing alarm. The one community accounted for more than 12% of all calls to the Melbourne region.

Inhalant Abuser Hits Barrier With Car, Injures Eight

The St. Tammany News reported last week that an 18-year-old driver was abusing computer duster before causing a wreck involving three cars and eight people. Adrian Adels was driving on Highway 190 in Louisiana at 7:00 PM and misjudged the distance to the exit, hitting two other cars.

According to Covington Police Lieutenant Jack West, his vehicle "went through the curb dividing the highway, sending 1- and 2-foot chucks of concrete flying into the two other vehicles. He finally came to a stop on a steel culvert that hooked the undercarriage of his car."

The eight people involved were treated in nearby hospitals. One of the cars held a mother, father, and their small child. Fortunately, everyone was released with only minor to moderate injuries.

People on the highway who witnessed the accident "reported Adels was traveling at a high rate of speed and was driving erratically."

The passengers in Adels' car said that they had been abusing the computer duster while Adels was driving. Lt. West found two cans in the car along with two plastic bags.

Charges against Adels are pending and include driving while intoxicated as well as negligent injury. Lt. West did not know why Adels had not been charged yet.

Faithful readers of the blog will notice both the frequency of driving while abusing inhalants as well as the inhalant of choice - computer dusters, almost 100% of the time.

Why is this? Why are people huffing dust remover while driving but ignoring other inhalants? It could be that for every person that is found abusing inhalants and driving, there are fifty who are 'dusting' at home or with friends and not getting caught.

Huffing Dust Remover in Fort Myers

In Fort Myers, Florida, a woman was spotted inhaling dust remover by police officers and EMS paramedics while sitting in her car in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

Sgt. Larry King, spokesman for the Lee County Sheriff, said that "It was quite obvious when he saw her huffing the aerosol from the can what was taking place."

The woman then slumped over in her seat and the deputy attempted to unlock the car door. When that failed, he broke the passenger window to extract her from the vehicle. She was sent to the hospital and then charged with inhaling dangerous chemicals.

She was "not trying to kill herself", but instead "going through a rough time and was just trying to clear her mind for a few minutes."

Article from WINKnews.com.

Driving Under the Influence in Arkansas

A 17-year-old from Gravette, Arkansas was arrested this past Tuesday after inhaling dust remover and driving. He was driving at 10:00 in the morning when his car ran into a ditch at the side of the road, hit a sewer, and flipped over. It then collided with the back of a National Home Center truck.

Both the driver and his passenger were taken to Northwest Medical Center for minor injuries. The driver of the truck was not hurt.

The 17-year-old had inhaled dust remover prior to driving, and was arrested for driving under the influence, careless and prohibited driving, and not wearing a seat belt.

Story from NWAnews.com.

Man Steals Paint, Hannah Montana Camera

The Dayton Daily News' police blotter showed an interesting case this past weekend, after officers were called to a Meijer grocery store in Englewood, Ohio. A man had resisted a loss prevention officer who "asked why the subject had a can of spray paint and a Hannah Montana video camera and whether he paid for the items." The man refused to answer and fled the store.

After being apprehended, he complained of lightheadedness and having difficulty breathing, so a medic was called.

Earlier that day he had been caught trespassing on Motel 6 property and huffing paint.

After arriving at the hospital, he was served with a summons for theft, trespass, and disorderly conduct/public intoxication.

Three Girls Huff on Bus, Become Ill

In Rhea County, Tennessee, parents are becoming aware of a 'dusting' fad with their kids.

On April 9th, three girls aged 13-15 used a computer duster to get high on the bus on the way to school. Upon arrival, one of the girls began to throw up and was taken to a local medical center. Soon after, the two other girls became nauseous and threw up, and were also taken to the medical center.

The school's Resource Officer investigated and found out what happened. He confiscated the can of computer duster and charged the girls with inhaling the chemical for unlawful purposes amd took them to the Rhea County Juvenile Detention Center.

One of the girls needed to be taken back to the medical center after she was sick again. Judge Jim McKenzie then released the girls to their parents. On the subject of inhaling computer duster, he says that,

"This is the same as huffing propane — we had a kid die of that on the mountain a while back—gasoline, markers, White Out, anything like that. They are all against the law and most of them can kill you.”

He also suggested that parents keep an eye out for warning signs in their children, such as having multiple cans of computer duster or odd smells on their breath or clothes.

“I’d encourage parents to check their kids’ backpacks every day regardless of their age. If they find Dust-Off or glue or spray paint or a bunch of Magic Markers, they should call my office or the Rhea County Sheriff’s Department so we can get them some help.”

Story from The Herald-News.

Duster Death in South Florida

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel ran a story today about Jason Emanuel, who died in February after inhaling computer duster.

He was originally from North Carolina and was arrested twice in December in Boynton Beach, Florida for huffing in his car outside of Wal-Mart. Soon after, he was arrested for huffing outside of a SuperTarget. The police reported him as being "unsteady on his feet" and "incoherent".

Jason had been kicked out of a drug rehabilitation halfway house a few days before his death on February 26th. He lived out of his car for three days until the police were called to a Wal-Mart where Jason told the officers that he had been huffing.

On the way to the hospital, he had a seizure and stopped breathing.

He was from an upper middle-class background and was educated in private schools. He studied at Appalachian State University before dropping out to seek treatment for his drug problems.

His father Chris said, "Jason was not a criminal. He wasn't a guy that would stick up the 7-Eleven. He had a problem and eventually it defeated him."

Chris also mentioned how Jason progressed from using marijuana to using inhalants, explaining,

"He got off marijuana because he didn't like finding dealers. You can go to any place and find an inhalant."

Jason's longtime friend Elliot mentioned,

"He just didn't act like someone who was a drug addict. With my generation, people get so concerned with drugs you hear about in pop culture. That's really not the problem. It's the prescription drugs and the stuff you buy at Wal-Mart."

ACE's executive director Colleen Creighton was quoted in the article talking about the prevalence of inhalants.

"You see kids on YouTube joking around, laughing and having fun, and the risk really isn't conveyed. The frightening thing for us is how young the kids are who are using."

Woman Arrested Twice for Inhaling Duster

A woman in Naples, Florida has been arrested for the second time in a week for inhaling dust remover.

On March 28th, Niki Jo Mortenson was arrested after being found unresponsive in her bedroom. A sheriff's deputy said that inside the room was a mist so thick that it made it difficult to breathe and burned his eyes. When officers asked what she was doing, she took a can of Dust-Off and sprayed it into her mouth.

Last Wednesday, police responded to a call of a suspicious person at a local Marriott Fairfield Inn. When they arrived, Mortenson was on the ground, crying hysterically and holding on to a palm tree.

According to the police,

"Mortenson told the officers she didn’t know where she was or how she got there. Before paramedics arrived, Mortenson grabbed one of the cans, brought it to her mouth and attempted to inhale the dust remover.

One of the officers grabbed the can from her hand, then began picking up the other six cans, which made Mortenson upset.

Five of the seven cans were completely empty, reports said, one was full, and the one Mortenson had in her hand was partially full.

Mortenson was transported to NCH Downtown Naples Hospital, where she was treated and released.

She was then arrested."

From naplesnews.com.

Dentist Arrested for Misuing Laughing Gas

Dr. Norman Rubin of Long Island, New York was arrested for inhaling laughing gas for non-medical reasons. He was found by a patient

"in a treatment room "unresponsive and drooling, and he had the gas mask on his face," said Lt. Kevin Burke.

Medics rushed to the scene and revived the dentist. Rubin was charged with inhalation of hazardous inhalants.

He later told The Post that "it was a mistake to do," and said he had been suffering from a migraine.

He added that the incident had occurred during his lunch hour, when he wasn't seeing patients.

Rubin's dental license has been suspended several times in Illinois. He blamed that on "six disgruntled patients."

The story also ran at ABC7 online.
Photo courtesy of the New York Post.

Woman Huffs in Wal-Mart Bathroom

A 27-year-old woman was arrested last week for retail theft, inhalation of a chemical substance, resisting arrest without violence, trespassing, and violation of probation after she locked herself in a Wal-Mart bathroom and inhaled a dust cleaner.

She was seen falling to the floor after employees heard a hissing sound. After paramedics and police were called, the can of dust cleaner was found nearby. She refused treatment and told police that she could not be jailed because she was on probation and wanted to go home. Wal-Mart is pressing charges for the theft of the dust cleaner, which cost $4.97. The woman repeatedly tried to bang her head against the wall until police held her on the floor with her head on a pillow.

The trespassing charge was included because she had been warned previously for huffing in their bathrooms on other occasions.