KTLA-TV |
KTLA 5 SPECIAL REPORT -- It's the shocking new trend that could kill -- teens breathing in a dangerous gas for a quick, cheap high and they could be getting it from your very own backyard.
Local teens are inhaling freon from air conditioning units. It's called "AC huffing," and the new killer coolant craze is on the rise in Southern California, where residents run their air conditioners all year long.
After huffing the gas, users often laugh uncontrollably, fall over and are out of control.
AC Huffing is considered to be deadly. According to the California Poison Control System, there have been four freon-related fatalities so far this year.
Experts say inhalants can cause instant heart attacks.
And it's not just freon on that young people are inhaling into their lungs. Some are addicted to sucking down "Dust-Off" the popular canned air product normally used to clean computer keyboards.
One puff can cause an intense high that lasts a few minutes but leaves addicts chasing the high over and over again.
So parents, next time you turn down the thermostat or notice the household aerosols are always empty, talk to your kids. Help keep them safe from the deadly coolant craze.
Local teens are inhaling freon from air conditioning units. It's called "AC huffing," and the new killer coolant craze is on the rise in Southern California, where residents run their air conditioners all year long.
After huffing the gas, users often laugh uncontrollably, fall over and are out of control.
AC Huffing is considered to be deadly. According to the California Poison Control System, there have been four freon-related fatalities so far this year.
Experts say inhalants can cause instant heart attacks.
And it's not just freon on that young people are inhaling into their lungs. Some are addicted to sucking down "Dust-Off" the popular canned air product normally used to clean computer keyboards.
One puff can cause an intense high that lasts a few minutes but leaves addicts chasing the high over and over again.
So parents, next time you turn down the thermostat or notice the household aerosols are always empty, talk to your kids. Help keep them safe from the deadly coolant craze.
