Second death in 24 hours involving inhalants

Inhaling propellants is believed to have resulted in the death of two Dunedin 21-year-olds in a 24-hour period, resulting in the mother of one of the victims speaking out.

The mother of a female student told the Otago Daily Times yesterday she was "shocked" to discover her daughter had died from a heart attack after inhaling flyspray solvent.

"I was so angry . . . Now I am asking why, why, why?" she said.

The woman is believed to have died on Wednesday morning, and was discovered by her father later that afternoon.

"I have spoken to her closest friends.

"No-one suspected a thing," the mother, who declined to be named, said.

Her daughter was popular and had plenty to live for, she said.

It was unclear how long she had been inhaling propellants, but two weeks ago nine cans of flyspray were discovered in her room.

The family was told she was using the flyspray because younger children kept leaving food in her room.

"Her reason was so good."

Her daughter had also become increasingly difficult to rouse in the morning.

Since her daughter's death, she had been told the use of propellants, such as air fresheners and deodorants, was "common" for some young people wanting to "get high".

Parents needed to more vigilant to prevent further tragedies, she said.

Her daughter's death occurred less than 24 hours before the death of another Dunedin 21-year-old on Thursday morning.

In that case, the man is alleged to have been inhaling liquefied petroleum gas.

Detective Sergeant Rob Hanna, of the Dunedin CIB, said both deaths had been referred to the coroner and declined to comment further.

It is unknown if the two cases were linked.

New Zealand National Poisons Centre medical toxicologist Dr Michael Beasley, of Dunedin, said children as "young as 10" were experimenting with butane and propane inhalants.

In a paper he co-wrote on the topic for The New Zealand Medical Journal, it was noted "inhalant abuse was a persisting problem in New Zealand".

"Continued education and other preventive measures are essential to help curb an extremely dangerous practice," Dr Beasley said.

- hamish.mcneilly@odt.co.nz

Inhalant abuse

- Often referred to as "bagging", "huffing" or "sniffing", depending on method used.
- Thought to be most common among 13-15 year olds; children as young as 6-8 have been treated.
- Symptoms include chemical smell on clothes, empty aerosol, butane or glue containers, intoxication, mood swings, changing sleep patterns, runny noses, eye irritations and sometimes rashes or pimples around mouth.
- Dangers include heart failure, suffocation, explosions, choking on vomit.

Source: National Poisons Centre