Canned air is a type of dusting product used to remove dirt and debris from hard-to-reach surfaces, such as computer keyboards, cameras, printers, fans, televisions and DVD players. Although this product can be helpful in accessing hard-to-reach spots, there are some dangers that you should be aware of.
Types
One way that canned air can prove dangerous is the harmful ingredients found in the product. Certain chemicals, such as fluorocarbon, halons, carbon tetrachloride and methyl chloroform are found in canned air dusters. These chemicals can emit harmful gasses into the atmosphere.
Effects
Canned air presents a way for people to get high by inhaling the chemicals found in the product. Inhaling canned air is sometimes referred to as "dusting" in slang. Inhalation of the compressed gas can create a paralyzed or euphoric feeling in the person, and abuse is most commonly seen in young adults and teenagers. Since canned air is legal and available at numerous retailers, abusers have easy access to the product. Many canned air products now contain a bitterant to make inhalation less pleasant.
Features
Inhalation abuse occurs when the contents of the canned air is inhaled through the person's mouth or nose. Although inhaling only once will only create a high for a few seconds, repeated inhalation can prolong the high felt by the user. The longer the user inhales the canned air, the more dangerous the effects.
Warning
Canned air product inhalation abuse can cause a person to suffer a range of long-term health effects. Potential problems include brain damage, central nervous system disorders, liver damage, hearing loss, kidney damage, seizures, coma and death. Death can be caused by the person going into cardiac arrest from the lack of oxygen delivered to her heart during inhalation of the canned air.
Prevention/Solution
If you are concerned about inhalation abuse, you can find numerous online resources to help. You can learn more about what you can do to prevent inhalation abuse with canned air products through the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition (see Resources). If you have environmental concerns about the safety of canned air, use a different product to dust hard-to-reach areas. You can now find electric dusters with extremely small attachments that you can use as an alternative to canned air.
Tags: canned products, found product, inhalation abuse