An 11-year-old boy died after inhaling deodorant with his classmates. A dangerous practice, of which young people are often unaware of the fatal risks.
The game turned into a drama. On Thursday evening, an 11-year-old boy was killed in the underground car park of a supermarket in Nice. With his friends, he amused himself by “inhaling the gas of an aerosol, probably a deodorant”, according to the first elements of the investigation.
Inanimate
Alerted by neighborhood kids, help arrived around 9 p.m. in this working-class neighborhood close to the railroad tracks. They couldn’t do anything to save him. The boy’s body showed no visible injuries.
The child of Chechen origin was educated at the Thérèse Roméo school in Nice, according to France 3 Côte d’Azur. A psychological support unit has been opened for children, parents and school staff. An investigation is underway.
>> France 3 report on the death of a teenager who inhaled deodorant
“Young people compete in imagination …”
Snorting deodorant, nail polish remover or glue is not a new practice. It consists of inhaling the toxic vapors of these products for their intoxicating, even hallucinogenic effects. For deodorant or toilet deodorants, the youngsters stick a towel over their nose and mouth, and inhale the gas that comes out of the spray can. The effects can last about 30 seconds or even a few minutes depending on the dose inhaled.
“It has always existed,” emphasizes Christophe Prudhomme, emergency doctor at the SAMU in Seine Saint-Denis. We have not noticed an upsurge in cases lately ”. It therefore seems a bit quick to talk about a fad or a phenomenon … “Young people have always competed in their imagination in this area” he says. Snorting plaster or smoking paper is not the prerogative of the new generation.
Cardiac arrest, asphyxia, asthma
However, young people are very often unaware of the real dangers of this “game”, despite its age and the fatal accidents reported in the press. “The risks are numerous, notes Christophe Prudhomme. The most serious is the cardio-respiratory arrest, caused either by the toxicity of the product itself, or by a lack of oxygen supply. There are also cases of asthma attack that can trigger asphyxia ”.
The conditions in which this “play” takes place often makes symptoms worse. “Those who do it are young, therefore fragile, and they meet in isolated places, without witnesses – so as not to get caught. As a result, it can take a long time for someone to call for help ”.
What if you catch your child snorting deodorant?
“It must first be removed from the toxicity of the product,” continues Christophe Prudhomme. Ventilate the space – the bathroom, for example – and take it out of the room. If he is unconscious, he must take his pulse, stimulate him to try to wake him up. And if he is not breathing, do not hesitate to give him mouth to mouth, then cardiac massage while waiting for help to arrive ”.
Once the person arrives at the emergency room, if he has not regained consciousness, classic resuscitation care is provided.
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