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Dr. Snubnose
08-02-2005, 09:37 PM
I don't know if this story is true or not...but if it is...it's worthy of taking a look at and being informed...Doc



To all I know,

Please read this story below, it's a sad but true story and this information could save someone alot of heartache. I know of two children over 20 years old playing with this stuff and one daring the other to spray it on his hand and he did. Well the back of his hand turned red, then swelled, then started to hurt, then the skin turned black....it was seriously frostbiten in a short time.
Kathy



If you have children or grandchildren, PLEASE read this officer's story carefully. You can also verify the story at http://www.snopes.com/toxins/dustoff.asp
Dust Off (or a variant of the product) is available everywhere there's a computer.

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First I'm going to tell you a little about me and my family. My name is Jeff. I am a Police Officer for a city which is known nationwide for its crime rate. We have a lot of gangs and drugs. At one point we were # 2 in the nation in homicides per capita. I also have a police K-9 named Thor. He was certified in drugs and general duty. He retired at 3 years old because he was shot in the line of duty. He lives with us now and I still train with him because he likes it. I always ! liked the fact that there was no way to bring drugs into my house. Thor wouldn't allow it. He would tell on you. The reason I say this is so you understand that I know about drugs. I have taught in schools about drugs. My wife asks all our kids at least once a
week if they used any drugs. Makes them promise they wont.

I like building computers occasionally and started building a new one in February 2005. I also was working on some of my older computers. They were full of dust so on one of my trips to the computer store I bought a 3 pack of DUST OFF. Dust Off is a can of compressed air to blow dust off a computer. A few weeks later when I went to use one of them they were all used. I talked to my kids and my two sons both said they had used them on their computer and messing around with them. I yelled at them for wasting the 10 dollars I paid for them. On February 28 I went back to the computer store. They didn't have the 3 pack which I had bought on sale so I bought! ht a single jumbo can of Dust Off. I went home and set it down beside my computer.

On March 1st, I left for work at 10 PM. Just before midnight my wife went down and kissed Kyle goodnight. At 5:30 am the next morning Kathy went downstairs to wake Kyle up for school, before she left for work. He was propped up in bed with his legs crossed and his head leaning over. She called to him a few times to get up. He didn't move. He would sometimes tease her like this and pretend he fell back asleep. He was never easy to get up. She went in and shook his arm. He fell over. He was pale white and had the straw from the Dust Off can coming out of his mouth. He had the new can of Dust Off in his hands. Kyle was dead.

I am a police officer and I had never heard of this. My wife is a nurse and she had never heard of this. We later found out from the coroner, after the autopsy, that only the propellant from the can of Dust off was in his system. No other drugs. Kyle had died between midnight and 1 AM

I found out that using Dust Off is being! g done mostly by kids ages 9 through 15. They even have a name for it. It's called dusting. A take off from the Dust Off name. It gives them a slight high for about 10 seconds. It makes them dizzy. A boy who lives down the street from us showed Kyle how to do this about a month before. Kyle showed his best friend. Told him it was cool and it couldn't hurt you. Its just compressed air. It can't hurt you. His best friend said no.

Kyle was wrong. It's not just compressed air. It also contains a propellant called R2. Its a refrigerant like what is used in your refrigerator. It is a heavy gas. Heavier than air. When you
inhale it, it fills your lungs and keeps the good air, with oxygen, out. That's why you feel dizzy, buzzed. It decreases the oxygen to your brain, to your heart. Kyle was right. It can't hurt you. IT KILLS YOU. The horrible part about this is there is no warning. There is no level that kills you. It's not cumulative or an overdose; it can just go randomly, terribly wrong. Roll the dice and if your number comes up you u die. IT'S NOT AN OVERDOSE. It's Russian Roulette. You don't die later. Or not feel good and say I've had too much. You usually die as you're breathing it in. If not, you die within 2 seconds of finishing "the hit." That's why the straw was still in Kyle's mouth when he died. Why his eyes were still open.

The experts want to call this huffing. The kids don't believe it's huffing. As adults we tend to lump many things together. But it doesn't fit here. And that's why it's more accepted. There is no chemical reaction. no strong odor. It doesn't follow the huffing signals. Kyle complained a few days before he died of his tongue hurting. It probably did. The propellant causes frostbite. If I had only known.

It's easy to say hey, it's my life and I'll do what I want. But it isn't. Others are always effected. This has forever changed our family's life. I have a hole in my heart and soul that can never be
fixed. The pain is so immense I can't describe it. There's nowhere to run from it. I cry all the time and I don't ever cry. I do what I'm supposed to do but I don't really care. My kids are messed up. One won't talk about it. The other will only sleep in our room at night. And my wife, I can't even describe how bad she is taking this. I thought we were safe because of Thor. I thought we were safe because we knew about drugs and talked to our kids about them.

After Kyle died another story came out. A Probation Officer went to the school system next to ours to speak with a student. While there he found a student using Dust Off in the bathroom. This student told him about another student who also had some in his locker. This is a rather affluent school system. They will tell you they don't have a drug problem there. They don't even have a dare or plus program there. So rather than tell everyone about this "new" way of getting high they found, they hid it. The probation officer told the media
after Kyle's death and they, the school, then admitted to it. I know that if they would have told the m media and I had heard, it wouldn't have been in my house.

We need to get this out of our homes and school computer labs. Using Dust Off isn't new and some "professionals" do know about. It just isn't talked about much, except by the kids. They all seem to know about it.

April 2nd was 1 month since Kyle died. April 5th would have been his 15th birthday. And every weekday I catch myself sitting on the living room couch at 2:30 in the afternoon and waiting to see him get off the bus. I know Kyle is in heaven but I can't help but wonder
If I died and went to Hell.

severedthumbs
08-02-2005, 09:59 PM
I read this over on USN I believe it is true.

LONE WOLF
08-02-2005, 10:29 PM
Sad story, but it aint the Dust Offs fault.

David Lowry
08-02-2005, 10:51 PM
Thanks for the info Dr. Snubnose.

I had heard about that but it's still sad.

Civilian
08-03-2005, 12:07 AM
I was emailed the excact same story a couple of weeks ago. True or not it is somthing to watch out for.

The Deacon
08-03-2005, 01:30 AM
It's true, it's sad, but there have also been stories lately of kids taking up the S&M practice of self-asphyxiation for a high. Needless to say, that also is resulting in some deaths. Yes it's a good thing for parents to know these practices exist, but the bottom line is that folks who want to get high will find a way. Problem is that a certain percentage of kids, who had never heard of these things before are also being "educated" by these stories, and some will inevitably decide the risk is not all that great.

Gerard Breuker
08-03-2005, 05:42 AM
A sad story.
Most children will cross the line at some point. I know I did and I think most of you did to.
I try to draw the line with some crossing it in mind which I hope won't do too much harm. Lots of guidance and education leaves me hoping for the best.

Ed Meinel
08-03-2005, 05:51 AM
This particular story may be true, may be false -- it's written in the typical "urban legend" style. It sounds like someone trying to damage Dust-Off sales:
I know that if they would have told the m media and I had heard, it wouldn't have been in my house. I'm looking at a can right now and it says
INHALANT ABUSE IS ILLEGAL AND CAN CAUSE PERMANENT INJURY OR BE FATAL. and
CAUTION: KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. THE INENTIONAL MISUSE BY DELIBERATELY INHALING CONTENTS MAY BE FATAL.

Michael Cook
08-03-2005, 08:26 AM
There are many chemical things under the sink that'll get your children high and then kill them. The urge to get messed up is animal and natural, it's just not healthywhen manifested in developing children. The kid probaly thought it was ok because it wasn't the demon DRUGS.

goldberg
08-03-2005, 08:55 AM
[QUOTE=Michael Cook] The urge to get messed up is animal and natural,

I dont beleive this is accurate.. far more beleivable the urge to SURVIVE is animal, natural, never saw a LION trying to get high Marlon Perkins must have left that one out (Wild kingdom)

333
08-03-2005, 12:22 PM
hello all,

What a sad story that is.

I still wonder what in the world would make someone inhale that or any other crap, peer pressure, curiosity, lack of commen sense or an inability to read the warning on the label?

Oh well i hope this story dissuades someone who is thinking about "huffing" chemicals, to not do it.

333

pjrocco
08-03-2005, 01:24 PM
True or not, it is something to be aware of.

My son is only 4 years old right now, but I can't even image what the kids will be doing when he is 15.. :confused:

Pretty scary. :(

The Deacon
08-03-2005, 02:09 PM
I'm quite sure the story is true. The father was on the Today show a week ago Tuesday. Would imagine NBC checked it out. However, in the interview, with the answers he gave to questions, and the statements he made, he came across to as the type who gives his kids weekly urine tests. I don't think that degree of "oversight" really helps. Think the best things parents can do are set a good example, give their kids the facts, and pray a lot.

HoB
08-03-2005, 05:10 PM
I think the Deacon is right. There is only so much you can do to keep children away from drugs. Just not having dust-off in the house won't eliminate the problem. I think there are two issues where the story goes wrong: a) I think he is blaming himself too much. Very understandable (for me at least) though. b) His statements about Dust-off are a bit naive. Just as Ed said: reading what is written on the can should have tip him off. Mine says:
"Do not deliberately concentrate and/or inhale this product. You could instantly die, suffer brain damage, or other dangerous and permanent health effects ...... keep out of reach of children and teens."
Also, it states that is contains 100% 1,1-Difluoroethane. It doesn't contain compressed air at all, nor does it contain a propellent .... or rather it contains 100% propellent. So I very much doubt that the buzz is really that short, that there are no accumulation effect and that death is instantaneous...but hey I don't want to see it proven either. And last but not least, it has a very faint but quite unpleasent and very glue like smell to it.

Gerard Breuker
08-03-2005, 05:48 PM
Severe restrictions always seem to lead to extreme curiosity and experimentation. Scary tales will only undermine your position as children have access to unlimited information nowadays.
Offer them some beer, wine, whisky or whatever is legal and not too dangerous. Learn them the difference between enjoying and losing their consciousness.

BTW legalizing drugs would be the biggest blow to organized crime and terrorism thinkable.

Chucula
08-03-2005, 09:08 PM
on impulse id say they are just plain stupid, but after thinking, i have to agree its also a bit sad.

i dont mean to be heartless but hearing about people that stupid makes you wonder what would have killed them if they never found dust off. seriously, if i (or you or anyone) smell something and it smells bad, why on earth would i keep smelling it? where has simple logic gone? maybe death was inevitable: if not by dust off, bug spray or something. who knows

i dont want to get into a deep philisophical debate though...or do i :confused:

Ray.Hood
08-06-2005, 11:09 AM
I've seen a lot of things, never did the hard stuff though. I have seen whippets (compressed air in canned whip cream!), huffing gas, coke, weed, crank, LSD, alcohol and just about everything else out there. Dust-off? that's definitely a new one on me.
I use it here in the freaking desert for crying out loud! Dust gets everywhere.
You might not believe this but kids like to experiment with different things and feelings. I think that this story could possibly be true. It' is not the maker's fault. Blame the parents out there that smoke crank and show their kids how to do it! :mad: :mad: :mad:

RLR
08-06-2005, 11:35 AM
so it must be true:

http://www.snopes.com/toxins/dustoff.asp

Sad, but humans will always try to do stupid, stupid things.