THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 22, 1996 TAG: 9608220347
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 31 lines
A teen-age boy died late Tuesday or early Wednesday after inhaling Wizard brand air freshener from a plastic bag in his Cypress Point home, police said.
Homicide Detective Steve Dunn said the 15-year-old, whose name wasn't released, was apparently trying to get high by spraying the potpourri-scented aerosol product into a small plastic bag and then breathing the vapors. The boy's mother found his body when she returned from work shortly after midnight Wednesday.
Dunn said the boy had school and social troubles and was in counseling for substance abuse. He said the boy had inhaled aerosol products in the past, although his parents had warned him not to.
``He came from a good home,'' Dunn said. ``His parents repeatedly warned him about the dangers and were trying to help him in counseling.''
On the street, the practice is called ``huffing.'' An aerosol is typically sprayed in high concentrations into a small sandwich-size bag, which is then held over the mouth like an air mask. Breathing the vapors can produce a rapid, uncontrollable heartbeat, brain swelling and profuse vomiting that may clog air passages. Any of the results can be deadly.
Huffing is most common among white teens, who may try everything from cooking sprays to cleaning products to get high.
The boy was alone in the family's home on Chipping Lane when he died, police said.
KEYWORDS: FATALITY HUFFING AEROSOL by CNB