Keyboard cleaner can get you high and kill you

16 September, 2008, 13:54

The substance used to clean computer keyboards joins nail polish, glue and hair spray as a cheap and convenient way to get high. But substance abusers are being warned that the fluids can kill.

Teenagers call it ‘dusting’, the slang term used for inhaling the compressed gas used to clean computer keyboards, reports the Seattle Times newspaper.

“Take a full can of Dust-Off and inhale as much as you can – it has to be full,” said one anonymous high-school senior, explaining how it works. “You get really light-headed for about 10 seconds. It's a stupid high.”

Teens suck the gas from the thin straw attached to the can's nozzle.

The high from the gas paralyzes the user for a few minutes, creating a feeling of euphoria. But those few minutes can result in damage to the brain, kidneys and liver. It can even kill the first time someone takes it.

‘Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome’ is one of the dangers associated with this from of substance abuse. It can cause the heart to beat rapidly and erratically, resulting in cardiac arrest.

More than 2.1 million kids aged between 12 and 17 have used an inhalant to get high, says the Washington-based non-profit Alliance for Consumer Education. Statistics also show one in every five school-age children in America has intentionally abused an inhalant to get high by the time they reach the eighth grade.