The Latest “Cheap High” for Teens

As you may recall, my editorial for issue #5 focused on a deadly game called the “choking game,” which has caused 82 documented deaths in the United States between 1995 and 2007 (Thomas, 2009). This “game” involves tying scarves, ropes, or belts around the neck to induce a state of euphoria. Unlike illicit drugs that might be difficult or expensive for youngsters to obtain, scarves and belts are readily available in the home. If a parent began to suspect drug use and searched the child's room, no drug paraphernalia would be found. Today I write to heighten awareness of yet another way that teens are achieving a “high,” once again using a common household product: computer keyboard cleaner. Once again, suspicion would not be aroused if computer keyboard cleaner were found in a child's room.

This new way of getting high is called “doing duster.” Although I was familiar with the practice of huffing glue, which has been around for quite awhile, I had not heard about this new practice.

Huffing the aerosol spray of the computer dusting product can damage nostrils, internal organs, and the brain. Like the choking game, the practice is potentially fatal. Yet kids can obtain this product for two dollars—or even take a can off the shelf in the store and get high for free, right there in the store.

I was introduced to “doing duster” by an article about “Katie” in my local newspaper. Katie, now 15 years old and waiting to appear in court for illegal use of inhalants, was 14 when introduced to “doing duster” by her friend. After her introduction to the product, she sometimes did a whole can in a night. It is not clear why Katie liked using it so much, because her description of the effect is not very appealing: “Doing duster is not like other highs. Within a couple of seconds, you feel numbness in your body, and sometimes you hear a siren-like noise or black out” (Area teen warns, 2009, p. 1).

Katie's parents had never heard of “doing duster' and never knew she was doing it. I suspect that this may be the case in many other American households. Katie is fortunate that she survived her year of duster use, and she is telling her story now to help others. She describes the residuals of doing duster: “My tongue hurts and I have little bumps around my lips. I also have muscle spasms for no apparent reason. They started in my arm, but they are now happening other places” (Area teen warns, 2009, p. 1). She asks the newspaper reporter to tell people the facts: “Computer duster is not just compressed air—it contains chemicals that can hurt or kill you, even the first time you try it” (Area teen warns, 2009, p. 1).

My Google search of this topic yielded little more than teens' blog postings about their use of computer duster. I understand that there are You Tube clips as well, although I haven't viewed them. As with the “choking game,” there are so many unanswered questions. Why do teens engage in this activity? Is this an American phenomenon, or is it evident in other countries? What is appealing to teens about numbness or blacking out? Are mental health nurses asking teens about use of inhalant products such as computer duster when they do assessments? Are mental health nurses educating parents about this dangerous practice? I invite clinical and research papers.