It is nothing new to police and health officials and the danger it can cause is clearly printed on the cans by manufacturers.
Regardless of the health risks, it does not stop people from buying, or stealing cans of air, often used to clean loose dust and dirt from hard-to-reach places, such as computer keyboards, camera lenses, screens and things sensitive to fingerprints.
Instead of its intended use, people, especially youth, are inhaling the mixture of gasses used to propel air in aerosol cans to get high.
The act of inhaling canned air, also known as “dusting,” or “huffing” is a cheap, quick, and virtually undetectable way to become inebriated.
Achieving a quick high, or inebriation is the feeling, also described as a short period similar to being drunk, is the goal.
The ‘canned’ air is only one example of hundreds of common household products with the potential to be abused by inhalant abusers.
Experimenting teens, or hard core drug ‘dusters’ either inhale the gasses directly or sprayed into a bag and then inhaled. The inhaled gas quickly enters the bloodstream through the lungs, where it affects the brain and other organs.
The same high is often achieved by youth who cover their heads and breathe in gasoline for a high as dangerous as the canned air.
Unfortunately, the ‘high’ can come at a high price, including addiction. hallucinations, headache, dizziness, loss of consciousness, lethargy and fatigue, impaired judgment, weakness, spasms or tingling of the limbs, poor reflexes, hearing loss, visual and speech disturbances, violent behavior or mood changes, and abdominal pain may be the short term side effects.
Taken directly from the can itself, or sprayed into a bag, then inhaled, canned air can be deadly.
Long term use can cause irreversible damage to the liver, kidneys, bone marrow, brain and central nervous system. Compressed air, the drug of choice for many hard drug addicts without another quick source, can also cause death in numerous cases.
How serious do police, health experts and manufacturers take the threat that canned air can be misused?
Most manufacturers add something called a ‘bitterant’ to the chemical mix to discourage inhalant abuse.
Legitimate users are often shocked when they go to purchase canned air for its intended use, as clerks in many stores ask for identification.
Legitimate outlets will not sell the cans to anyone under 18 years of age.
The Ontario County Sheriff’s Office reported the arrest on Wednesday (2/3) of Jessica Strusinski, age 31, of 110 South Clinton Street in Newark for Petit Larceny.
Strusinski was found to have stolen several cans of compressed air which she used to inhale. These were taken from the Super Walmart in the Town of Geneva.
Further investigation revealed Ms. Strusinski stole at least two more times from the Walmart store on February 2nd and February 5th, which included the theft of 7 more cans of compressed air and charged with two additional counts of Petit Larceny.
Strusinski was arraigned and is currently being held on $5,000 cash /$10,000 bond at the Ontario County Jail
She was issued appearance tickets and will appear before the Geneva Town Court to answer the charges.
According to Clinic Manager, Chris Thomas, of Wayne Behavioral Health, inhaling or “huffing” of keyboard air dusters is a popular route for youth to try for getting high.
“It is so easily available to them in office stores and department stores. They put their tshirts over their heads and huff the propellent from the cans. The high gives them an out-of-body experience…like you are floating above your body. It is a quick and cheap high, with serious repercussions. It can cause brain tumors and has been known to cause “Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome”, which can cause a constant “huffer” to have a literal heart attack if surprised or excited while huffing.
Another reason many use this type of high is that it does not readily show up in urine tests, which are often required by those who are on probation or parole. “While it is hard to determine if a person has been huffing, constant vomiting is a symptom, as well as nose hairs appearing to be burned out.”
Users are very prone to black outs.
“The propellant in the air dusters is highly addictive,” explained Thomas.
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