A Tempe teenager died this week after participating in a social media challenge known as “dusting.”
Renna O’Rourke, 19, went into cardiac arrest after attempting the challenge. The O’Rourke family is now sharing their daughter’s story to spread awareness.
What is the ‘Dusting’ Challenge?
“Dusting” is a viral trend in which social media users record themselves inhaling keyboard cleaning spray to get higher views on their profiles and videos. The challenge is also known as “chroming” or “huffing.”
As reported by AZ Family, O’Rourke was immediately rushed to the hospital and remained unconscious for nearly a week. Earlier this week, she was declared brain dead. Her parents, Dana and Aaron, are now sharing their daughter’s story to spread awareness and save others from losing their kids to the potential killers in their cabinets.
“There’s no ID required. It’s odorless. It’s everything kids look for. They can afford it, they can get it, and it doesn’t show in mom and dad’s drug test,” said Dana. “Don’t take your kids word for it. Dig deep. Search their rooms. Don’t trust and that sounds horrible, but it could save their life,” she added.
Experts: When Teens Inhale the Chemicals, it Replaces the Oxygen Within Their Body
“This is extremely concerning,” said Dr. Randy Weisman. He leads the Intensive Care Unit at HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center. “When they inhale these chemicals in the gas it will actually replace the oxygen within their lungs and within the rest of their body.”
He said dusting makes the user feel drunk and euphoric for a couple of minutes, and in that short amount of time, the damage done after just one huff can be irreversible and even deadly.
“Failure of the liver, heart failure, disease of the lungs,” said Dr. Weisman.
“She’s not the only one that this has happened to. Several other teenagers have succumb to this same disorder,” said Dr. Weisman. “She spent the next seven days in the ICU. She never regained consciousness,” said Dana. “We don’t have children to bury them.”
Dusting is different than another popular and easily accessible drug you might have heard of called whippets. It’s not the same kind of chemicals in the gas. Dr. Weisman said both are equally unsafe and encourages parents to have conversations with their kids about the dangers of abusing common household products.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Renna to help cover her medical bills and funeral costs.
