Tamper-Resistant Refrigerant Caps News
Husband charged with assisting wife's suicide by inhaling Freon - St. Petersburg Times, 10/18/2011
New invention saves lives - Claremont Courier, 11/24/2007
Freon from air conditioners being used for a quick high - WTSP / Tampa Bay's 10 News, 11/2/2006
Man arrested for huffing Freon - WTSP / Tampa Bay's 10 News, 9/14/2006
Sudden high, sudden death - St. Petersburg Times, 4/20/2004
NOVENT® Tamper-Resistant Refrigerant Caps Help to Prevent Refrigerant Theft and Personal Injury
Huffing: A Senseless Tragedy - Contracting Business, 9/2003
New Safety Caps from NOVENT® Provide Protection from Refrigerant Theft - Indoor Comfort News, 9/2003
Press Release
Rectorseal Acquires the Assets of Airtec Products Corporation
JB Industries Enters Partenership with NOVENT
Informational Links
National Inhalant Prevention Coalition (NIPC)
The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
Alliance for Consumer Education's (ACE) Inhalant Abuse Prevention
United Parents to Restrict Open Access to Refrigerant Corporation
Inhalant Abuse News
Teen Dies after Inhaling Helium
Via The Mail Tribune in Oregon
Police responded to a 911 call in Medford, Oregon, and found a teenage girl passed out in the apartment of a 27-year-old woman. Officers discovered that the 14-year-old girl and several other teenagers had been drinking, smoking marijuana, and inhaling helium from a tank. Emergency services took the collapsed girl to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
An autopsy will be necessary to determine the exact cause of death, but one of the officers said, “[I]t certainly appears that the inhalation of helium was a large factor in her collapse and eventual death.”
Via The Centre Daily Times in Pennsylvania
Last Friday, a Pennsylvania man passed out after huffing propane while driving. The man was driving on Interstate 99 when he passed out, and his car went off the shoulder and hit a fence and a tree. Officers charged him with a DUI.
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.
Via rrspin.com from North Carolina:
A 39-year-old Roanoke Rapids man was found inhaling toxic vapors from a can of dust remover behind a community center. Police also found a crack pipe in his pocket, and he was arrested for “inhaling toxic vapors and possession of drug paraphernalia.”
A Roanoke Rapids Police Department Captain says that when an older individual abuses inhalants, it usually means “they’ve done it before.” Because of this, he says, “Parents of teens need to be vigilant of substance abuse. They’re easily purchased and inexpensive.”
Via the County 10 in Wyoming:
A 20-year-old Riverton man was arrested last Friday after he was suspected of huffing dust remover. He was charged with toxic substance use.
Via the Bellingham Herald in Washington:
Last week, a Lynden, WA, woman was sentenced to six months in prison for an inhalant-related car accident in 2009.
The 20-year-old woman and two teenage friends purchased several cans of dust remover before heading to the young woman’s apartment in her Honda Accord. Despite her friend’s protest, the young woman huffed the dust remover twice while driving.
While approaching a traffic light, the friends saw the young woman “slump over and hit her head on the steering wheel.” One of the passengers grabbed the wheel, but the Accord hit two other cars before stopping. All three cars were damaged, but the women in the Accord were the only ones injured.
When questioned by officers, the young woman said “she didn’t know what was going on” after huffing while driving.
She was found guilty of two counts of vehicular assault last week.
Via teh Ledger-Enquirer in Georgia:
Two Fort Benning soldiers are being charged in a fatal inhalant related crash.
Last Saturday the 20 and 27 year males allegedly “spent the hours before the wreck on a drinking and huffing binge, taking shots of Jack Daniel’s whiskey and inhaling nitrous oxide from balloons.” The crash resulted in the death of a 55 year old father of seven.
One of the men told police he couldn’t remember the crash but he described the events leading up to it. After a trip to the mall they stopped to buy whiskey and began taking shots in the parking lot. They finished the bottle while driving around the town. They then purchased nitrous oxide capsules and stopped at another store to buy balloons from which to inhale the gas. Upon inspection, police found 14 empty ““Supercharger” nitrous oxide canisters.
They took at least three hits apiece, stopped to buy energy drinks, and then stopped at another liquor store where they purchased another bottle of whiskey.
They were speeding and swerving through traffic when they struck a car from behind, pushing it into oncoming traffic where it was hit head-on. They continued driving, causing another collision and in total injuring seven people in the crashes.
Via KXLF TV in Montana:
The commander of the Missouri River Drug Task Force commented on inhalant abuse in the region. “Here in Gallatin County we see huffing or inhaling of butane lighter fluid, paints, paint thinner, and glues.”
He also revealed that about 50% of those inhaling the products to get high are under 18 years of age.”
Via the Sandusky Register in Ohio:
Earlier this week a 24 year old man was arrested for inhalant abuse, “his second such offense in recent weeks.” Police responded to a call for a strange odor and found the man huffing computer dusters. He had just been released from the hospital a few days earlier for a similar incident.
On January 13th officers responding found him sitting on the floor of his mother’s house huffing computer dusters and the police report noted his blistered and bloated lips and pointed out that a “bucket of vomit sat nearby and dozens of empty “Duster” bottles littered the floor after his four-day huffing binge.” He was taken to the hospital for treatment.
via the Louisiana State Epidemiology Workgroup.
Lifetime inhalant use for Louisiana youth in grades 8, 10 and 12 is consistently lower than the national average. “Among 8th graders in 2010, lifetime use was 11.7% in Louisiana vs. 14.5% nationally” However, for 30 day inhalant use, Louisiana youth report rates similar to or slightly higher than their peers nationally.
The report notes that “youth inhalant use typically peaks between grades 7 and 8, with rates observed for 8th graders near or above 4% every year between 2006 and 2010.”
Via the Watertown Daily Times in New York:
Last week police were called to a residence for a “highly intoxicated 14 year old who had inhaled vapors from a spray can.” Two teens (ages 18 and 19 years old) were charged with “illegal use of toxic vapors and endangering the welfare of a child” after allegedly huffing from the product and providing it to the child.
Via abc24.com in Tennessee:
A 41 year old man was arrested and charged with “Unlawful Inhaling of Glue, Paint, etc” after police found him inhaling carburetor cleaner in the parking lot of an AutoZone store.
Employees had noticed the man and called police. When they responded they saw the man “spray carburetor cleaner onto his undershirt, place the shirt to his face and inhale the chemical.”
Via WQOW in Wisconsin:
Police responded to a Wal-Mart after customers complained about a 3 year old crying in the store’s restroom. The boy was saying there was something wrong with his mom so a customer checked the stall and found his mother huffing from an aerosol can.
The woman was unresponsive but when she came to, she stormed out of the restroom into the store and started shopping. Customers followed her until police arrived. A few days later she was again involved in an inhalant related incident. She passed out while driving, with her young son in the car.
Via the PhillyBurbs.com in Pennsylvania:
A 31 year old man ended up in the hospital earlier this week after an inhalant abuse incident. He was abusing inhalants in the parking lot of a local business when he lit a cigarette. The fumes ignited, burning his face and hands. He was taken to the hospital and charged with “being under the influence of a toxic chemical.”
Via WKBN / WYFX TV in Ohio:
Earlier this week a 38 year old female was charged with “DUI and illegal use and possession of the noxious or solvent substance and reckless driving” after an inhalant related crash. She rear ended another vehicle in a fast food drive through after huffing computer dusting spray behind the wheel. When police responded they noted the four cans of the keyboard cleaner in the car.
Via the Union Leader in New Hampshire:
Police arrested a man after Wal-Mart employees found him huffing compressed gas in the store. He passed out but had woken up and was huffing the product when police arrived. He was taken to the hospital for observation and charged with “inhaling toxic vapors for effect, disorderly conduct and willful concealment.”
Via The News Observer in Georgia:
The county grand jury returned a 16 count indictment against a 16 year old male after an inhalant related crash on July 1, 2011 that killed a Florida girl and seriously injured several members of her family. One of the charges included driving under the influence of an inhalant.
Via StlToday in St Louis, Missouri:
A 38 year-old mother of two was killed on September 13, 2010 when a 28 year old male who had been huffing behind the wheel crashed into her at a service station. The article states a tank of refrigerant was found in the man’s car and a witness had claimed he has a history of huffing refrigerant and had passed out just after huffing behind the wheel. His car hit a small pole before striking the 38 year old woman. The driver is being charged with first degree involuntary manslaughter.
Via Leader-Telegram in Wisconsin:
A 45 year old woman pleaded guilty to a “misdemeanor charge of intentionally abusing a hazardous substance” and was charged $243. On September 19 she had been found huffing computer dusting spray outside a local business.
The article also notes she was sentenced in April 2010 to “eight months in jail and five years of probation for inhaling from an aerosol can to get high prior to being involved in a one-vehicle traffic crash”
Via the Standard Examiner in Utah:
This weekend an 18 year old male was involved in an inhalant related accident after huffing computer duster behind the wheel. He and his 17 year old passenger were treated at the hospital and the driver was cited for “driving under the influence of drugs, possession of a psychotoxic chemical, failure to wear a seat belt and failure to stop at a stop sign.”
Via Mansfield News Journal in Ohio:
This weekend a 20 year old man was issued a summonses for “theft, abusing harmful intoxicants and possession of drug paraphernalia.” The police report notes the man took a spray can into the bathroom at a Wal-Mart and inhaled it to get high.
Via the Sandusky Register in Ohio:
Last Thursday, a search for the source of an odd odor led police to a 24 year old man huffing computer dusting spray in his living room. He was charged with abusing harmful intoxicants.
The report notes that when officers arrived they found the man surrounded by dozens of spent canisters of the dusting spray and his “mouth was swollen and covered with large, festering yello blisters” from huffing the spray.
The man told police he received a bulk shipment of the compressed gas four days ago after ordering them online at Amazon. He noted he needs the duster to “slow down his brain.” His mother was there with him as paramedics took him to the medical center. She said her son inhales dusters “all the time” even when she is present.
Via WITN in North Carolina:
A 24 year old woman has been charged with “careless and reckless driving, driving left of the center line and for inhaling toxic vapors” after an inhalant related accident yesterday.
The police report notes the driver has been huffing from an aerosol can when she lost control of the car and crashed into building. The building is now being renovated and the church next door was also affected. The driver is still behind bars on a $1,000 bond.
Via North Country Now in New York:
A 35 year old man was charged with “driving and possession of toxic vapors” after an incident last Tuesday. The article notes “state law considers unlawful possession of inhalants and glues containing a solvent which releases toxic vapors used in “huffing,” or intoxication with the vapors, to be a violation.”
Via WSBT in Indiana:
A 28 year old man was arrested at a church after he was found huffing gold paint in a stairwell. He was “arrested, accused of trespassing and inhaling toxic vapors.”
