JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A single spray can potentially put your child in harm's way.
Viral videos of "chroming," or as Dr. Dawn Sollee, director of Florida’s Poison Information Center Jacksonville calls it, a resurgence of inhalant abuse, is spreading on social media platforms and encouraging young people to test out the trend.
“It could be paints, it could be solvents, it really can be anything that they can try and get a hold of," she said.
Using products as inhalants that can be found in your home or on a shelf at the store.
“There isn't usually anything preventing them from buying some of the products to obtaining them. They can get it and they can get high,” Sollee explained.
The real harm is how the trend may create an addiction for adolescents and lead to long-term health concerns including brain issues and heart sensitivity.
“The sensation is coming from is the fact that when they're using them, your brain is no longer getting oxygen, it's getting with the chemical instead," she added.
Now when users search “chroming” on TikTok, they are redirected to resources for substance use.
Educating young users about inhalants, Sollee adds, is the best way to protect children and prevent serious injuries from chroming.
“If things are going well, we don't get called. It's normally when things are not going well, that we would get called. So that would either be a concerned parent that found the person or a health care facility calling because someone has repeated abuse," she mentioned.
Sollee says parents should look out for the warning signs of chroming, which can include finding empty cans in their child’s bedroom, if their child experiences nosebleeds and has sores around their nose or mouth.