Girl, 13, dies after sniffing deodorant
Parents are being warned about the dangers of common aerosol deodorants containing butane after the death of a girl who police suspect deliberately inhaled the spray to get high.
The girl, 13, from the Great Southern town of Hopetoun, was found dead by her father at their home on Tuesday night.
Police are still waiting for final toxicology results but they believe the girl is likely to have died from what is known as sudden sniffing death syndrome.
The condition results in the user's heart shutting down as a result of acute toxicity caused by exposure to butane.
Police seized a can of deodorant from the girl's home.
_Th _ _e Weekend West _has been asked not to name the brand because of fears it could lead to copycat abuse.
But the brand is marketed heavily at a youth audience and uses butane as a propellant.
The same deodorant was found to have caused the death of a 14-year-old Kununurra girl who had stolen a can from a supermarket in 2009 and inhaled it. A 12-year-old boy also died accidentally in England after spraying too much of the product on himself in a small, unventilated bathroom.
Australian Medical Association spokesman Dave Mountain said substance abusers reported experiencing hallucinations and feelings of euphoria and lowered inhibitions. He said abuse was known to be a bigger problem in country areas and was particularly prevalent among teenagers, who found it a cheap and readily accessible way to get high.
Dr Mountain said there was no safe level of consumption. Some users were known to have died the first time they tried it. Others died after years of abuse.
"To get the effects you have to use toxic levels and the problem with butane is that it is quite toxic on the heart and they can get abnormal rhythms as a result," Dr Mountain said.
The sale of butane products such as lighter fluid was restricted in WA to those aged 18 or above after the death of 16-year-old Perth girl Dayle Koch in 2006.
At an inquest into her death in 2008, the coroner said there had been 12 other butane-related deaths reported in WA since 1997.
There are no restrictions on the sale of deodorants containing butane in WA but cans clearly state that inhalation can be harmful.
Some supermarkets in the Northern Territory introduced voluntary restrictions on the sale of some deodorants in 2013 after a spate of deaths linked to the products.
Not all aerosol deodorants contain butane and parents are advised to check labels when buying the products for children.
WA's Drug and Alcohol office runs helplines for parents or abusers. Counselling available from the Alcohol and Drug Information Service on 9442 5000 or 1800 198 024
