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'Rexona killed my son': Mum's harrowing warning over deadly trend

A mother who found her teenage son dead on the floor surrounded by aerosol cans has spoken out about the deadly trend that took the life of her 17-year-old son.

Dianne Kendrick found her son, Nicholas Douglas, on his bedroom floor in 2015.

The reason for his death is cheap, easily available in supermarkets and growing in popularity in Queensland.

"Rexona killed my son. The day he died there was a can of Rexona next to him," Ms Kendrick told local outlet The Daily Mercury.

The Courier Mail recently reported Queensland hospitals recorded a 32 per cent jump in chroming presentations.

Chroming is the term used when a person inhales the contents of aerosol cans, using everything from deodorant, fly spray and spray paint to chase a cheap high.

While spray paint sales are restricted in most states, deodorant and other aerosol cans are not.

Nicholas Douglas (left), 17, died in 2015 from chroming. His mum said 'Rexona killed my son'. Pictured right is a deodorant can.
Nicholas Douglas (left) died in 2015 after 'chroming' with a Rexona aerosol deodorant (similar to right). Source: Facebook

The deodorant has become the brand of choice for ‘chromers’, with the Cairns Post reporting youths said they preferred the “smooth” taste and particularly the scent of Rexona brand.

Ms Kendrick said she didn’t even know her son was partaking in the dangerous trend and had thought nothing of supplying her son with multiple cans of deodorant.

"I just thought he was a teenager having a shower in a can," she said of the number of deodorant cans her son would use.

“Parents need to know.”

Ms Kendrick said the low price and over-the-counter availability of most aerosol cans diminished the danger of chroming to teenagers.

“[Nicholas] didn't think chroming would kill him," Ms Kendrick said.

"This is worse than ice. It is dumb, it's stupid,” she added.

A spokesperson for Rexona told The Daily Mercury they were “deeply concerned” about the recent spike in chroming and they were continuing to work with retailers to make sure their aerosol products contained anti-theft devices.

"Among other measures to address this issue, all of our products are labelled with warnings and guidelines on how to use aerosols safely.”

Yahoo News Australia contacted Rexona Australia for comment.

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