Online “dusting” challenge claims the life of a US teen

A 19-year-old from Arizona died after participating in a viral online “dusting” challenge.

Renna O’Rourke died after trying the viral “dusting” trend in which users sniff computer dusting spray to get high.

O’Rourke went into cardiac arrest, remained unconscious in the intensive care unit for a week, and later was declared brain-dead.

Dusting, also known as “chroming” or “huffing”, typically makes people feel “drunk and euphoric” for a couple of minutes and can have an irreversible impact.

“When [people] inhale these chemicals in the gas, it will actually replace the oxygen within their lungs and within the rest of their body,” Dr. Randy Weisman, who heads the intensive care unit at Arizona’s HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center, told AZ Family.

Weisman cited liver failure, heart failure, and disease of the lungs as potential consequences. According to him, Renna O’Rourke is not the only victim of “sudden sniffing death syndrome”, and several other teenagers have died of the same cause.

Now, Renna’s parents are raising awareness about the dangerous “dusting” trend.

“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,” her mother, Dana O’Rourke, told AZ Family.

To combat online threats, some countries have taken quite radical measures - such as Australia, which banned children under 16 from using social media. Social media giants, such as Meta, Google, X, and TikTok, were vocally against the move, saying the bill lacked clarity on how the rules would be enforced.