http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/b ... f.htm#noteComments: True, and a cautionary tale that ought to be heeded by teenagers and parents alike. Fourteen-year-old Kyle Williams, son of Jeff and Kathy Williams of Painesville Township, Ohio, died on March 2, 2005 from the effects of inhaling the contents of a can of Dust-Off compressed-air cleaning spray (also known as "canned air").
The message above was written by Kyle's father, police officer Jeff Williams, who told me he first posted it on a support Web site for grieving parents, where it inspired readers to copy the text and forward it to others. Mr. Williams also shared his story in a March 10, 2005 column by Connie Schultz of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The incident was also indirectly confirmed in an email from the CEO of Falcon Safety Products, Inc., the manufacturer of Dust-Off, which said, in part:
Our company is aware of reports of a death that may have resulted from ?huffing? our compressed-gas product. It saddens me to say that this activity ? the intentional misuse of aerosol products to achieve a ?high? ? is not an Urban Legend, and as a company, we are extremely concerned about such occurrences. And as upsetting as that is to us, our feelings cannot compare to those of a parent or family member who has lost a child.
While our products have been safely used by millions of people over the course of our company?s history, dangers do exist from intentional product misuse. Falcon Safety Products, Inc. has taken great strides over the years to spread the word about the dangers of aerosol inhalation, whether it be on our packaging, our web site or through pro-active public communication.
According to recent news reports citing health and law enforcement authorities, inhaling the vapors of common household products ? including hair spray, lighter fluid, shoe polish, paint thinner, and glue, as well as Dust-Off ? is fast becoming one of the most popular forms of drug abuse among teenagers. Among the serious health threats such activities pose are nerve damage, loss of hearing, vision impairment, and death.
See sources below for detailed information.
Email This Article
Sources and further reading:
Riverside High School Continues to Grieve
The News-Herald, 4 March 2005
A Dire Warning from a Grieving Dad
The Plain Dealer, 10 March 2005
Perry Parents Demand Action
The News-Herald, 16 March 2005
Inhalant Abuse (Falcon Safety Products Inc.)
Warning against inhalant abuse by Dust-Off manufacturer
Inhalant Abuse Increasing Among U.S. Teens
Reuters, 17 March 2005
Last updated: 06/01/05
Newspaper column:
http://www.cleveland.com/schultz/index. ... l%26coll=2