Cesar Watson-King has become the latest alleged victim of chroming after inhaling toxic chemicals.
According to the Daily Mail, the 12-year-old went into cardiac arrest soon after allegedly breathing in the scent of an antiperspirant can.
The boy from Doncaster is now in a medically induced coma.
Unfortunately, he’s not the only victim. In March of this year, Tommie-Lee Gracie Billington died as a result of chroming.
The 11-year-old was at his friend’s house in Lancaster when police and paramedics rushed to the scene. He was officially pronounced dead later in hospital.
His grandmother, Tina Burns, said he died instantly after inhaling toxic fumes, as part of the ‘chroming’ trend, and he’s not the only one.
Esra Haynes, 13, died on March 31 after taking part in the dangerous practice. She spent more than a week in hospital before dying.
Her family has since tried to raise awareness of the lethal activity to prevent the tragedy from happening to anyone else.
Chroming, which is also known as huffing or sniffing, is when someone inhales toxic chemicals. These include paint, solvent, aerosol cans, glue, cleaning products, or petrol.
Such inhalants affect the central nervous system and slow down brain activity, resulting in a short-term “high”.
The practice is extremely dangerous and can also result in slurred speech, dizziness, and hallucinations. Nausea, vomiting, and disorientation are also side effects.
Furthermore, inhaling these solvents can result in a heart attack or suffocation. Chroming or huffing can also permanently damage the brain, liver, and kidneys.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that in the US, around half-a-million people reported use inhalants. The majority of them were between the ages of 12 and 17.
UK-based anti-drug advisory service Frank says there are more than 50 deaths a year involving glues, gases, solvents and aerosols.
If you’re concerned about someone taking part in chroming or huffing, you can call Frank any time on 0300 123 6600 for advice.
What is the chroming trend on TikTok?
Chroming has found popularity on TikTok with young generations posting videos of themselves inhaling toxic fumes.
TikTok has warned users that any content that uses the extremely risky chroming trend will be removed. The phrase, which originates from colloquial Australian slang, describes intentionally breathing in harmful vapours from objects like paint pots, aerosol cans, and spray deodorant.
Generations Z and Alpha on TikTok have started sharing content under the WhipTok, which is a more colloquial term for using nitrous oxide recreationally.
The National Retail Association in Australia states that inhaling aerosol cans, paint, solvent, permanent markers, nail polish remover, hairspray, deodorants, lighter fluid, glue, cleaning supplies, nitrous oxide and gasoline can all classed as chroming.
