Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News & Media
Topics: Real Life, Health, Social Media, UK News, News
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Real Life, Health, Social Media, UK News, News
One girl was rushed to hospital after inhaling five cans of deodorant in a dangerous 'chroming' attempt.
The 12-year-old, who hails from Rochester in Kent, left her mother fearing for the worst when she became 'violently ill' after trying to do the viral social media trend.
According to the National Retail Association, 'chroming' gets its name from the act of sniffing chrome-based paint - although it's now a broader term used to describe the deliberate inhalation of toxic chemicals such as solvents, aerosol cans, paint and glue and is also known as 'huffing' or 'sniffing'.
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Breathing in the chemicals affects the central nervous system, resulting in a short-term ‘high’ as the brain slows down.
Side effects can include slurred speech, dizziness, hallucinations, nausea, vomiting and disorientation.
And while these are often quite short-lived, chroming can also have much more serious and scary effects such as causing heart attack, seizures, suffocation or landing someone in a coma.
So, it's of no surprise that Mikayla Solomon feared her daughter was going to die when her and a friend inhaled 'five or six' aerosol cans, after reportedly hearing about the trend known as 'chroming' last month (2 March).
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The mum-of-two says Teigan, 12, and a pal got their hands on the canisters from her home and two neighbours' houses.
Mikayla rushed Teigan to A&E at Medway Maritime Hospital in Kent after she found out she had inhaled the cans with a friend at a sleepover 'for a laugh'.
The 37-year-old said Teigan complained of heart palpitations and dizziness hours after inhaling the fumes.
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Despite receiving the all-clear from doctors, Mikayla said Teigan was vomiting continuously for 12 days - and fears the incident may have left long-term damage.
"I didn't really know what she had done but my older daughter said Teigan had inhaled deodorant," the mum explained. "I didn't really have a clue what that meant.
"It was five or six deodorant cans between the two of them. They had taken the cans from mine, a neighbour and another neighbour."
Mikayla continued: "When I found out, I thought I need to get her to get checked. She apologised and said she just wanted to do it to make her laugh and didn't really think about the consequences.
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"She thought it would just make her and her friend laugh. She said her heart was doing palpitations."
Once at hospital, Teigan underwent multiple tests which luckily all came back as normal.
However, Mikayla said her daughter still wasn't well in the days following the incident - baffling medics as to the cause of her symptoms.
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She recalled: "Teigan really wasn't well after coming home. She was being sick constantly. She said she felt like everything was in slow motion and delayed.
"I didn't really know what to think - I didn't know if she was making it up. I told her she could've died. The doctors talked to her and I think it scared her.
"She slept in my bed that night and I could hear her wheezing. She still didn't feel well. I was thinking maybe this trend has caused damage. She was being sick and had diarrhoea."
The mum carried on: "I thought it would've cleared by now after a few days but she was still being sick. She was sick every day for 12 days, if it was a bug it would've gone in 24 hours.
"And she kept burping sulphur-like burps which were really gassy and I really do think it was linked to the deodorant cans.
"We went back to A&E and they weren't sure what was wrong with her."
Mikayla has since said she's 'grateful' her daughter's symptoms weren't more severe - and urges other parents to remain aware of this 'dangerous' challenge.
"I just feel so grateful it wasn't worse," she added.
"She could've easily gone into cardiac arrest. I could've easily lost my daughter that day.
"After it happened, I saw a little boy had died from it and a girl had been in ICU, it's terrifying.
"I am concerned about long term damage. I've read things like it can cause cognitive impairment and and memory loss. It's worrying."
The mum highlighted: "She's 12 so she shouldn't really be on [social media] but all their friends are so they're going to see these trends but [the platforms] need to crack down on it. Social media influences our children so much. Parents need to know the dangers.
"It's a really dangerous trend. If you think your child has done this, get them checked - it can cause long-term damage."