Do you have a computer product called "Dust Off" in your house?

Summary:
Email from a grieving father outlines the danger of inhaling Dust-Off computer cleaner, after his son died as a result of "huffing" the product.

Dust Off- A Serious Fatal Hazard
First IM going to tell you a little about me and my family. My name is Jeff. I am a Police Officer for a city which is known nationwide for its crime rate. We have a lot of gangs and drugs. At one point we were # 2 in the nation in homicides per capita. I also have a police K-9 named Thor . He was certified in drugs and general duty. He retired at 3 years old because he was shot in the line of duty. He lives with us now and I still train with him because he likes it. I always liked the fact that there was no way to bring drugs into my house. Thor wouldn't allow it. He would tell on you. The reason I say this is so you understand that I know about drugs. I have taught in schools about drugs. My wife asks all our kids at least once a week if they used any drugs. Makes them promise they won't.

I like building computers occasionally and started building a new one in February 2005. I also was working on some of my older computers. They were full of dust so on one of my trips to the computer store I bought a 3 pack of DUST OFF. Dust Off is a can of compressed air to blow dust off a computer. A few weeks later when I went to use them they were all used. I talked to my kids and my 2 sons both said they had used them on their computer and messing around with them. I yelled at them for wasting the 10 dollars I paid for them. On February 28 I went back to the computer store. They didn't have the 3 pack which I had bought on sale so I bought a single jumbo can of Dust Off. I went home and set it down beside my computer.

On March 1st I left for work at 10 PM. At 11 PM my wife went down and kissed Kyle goodnight. At 530 AM the next morning Kathy went downstairs to wake Kyle up for school, before she left for work. He was sitting up in bed with his legs crossed and his head leaning over. She called to him a few times to get up. He didn't move. He would sometimes tease her like this and pretend he fell back asleep. He was never easy to get up. She went in and shook his arm. He fell over. He was pale white and had the straw from the Dust Off can coming out of his mouth. He had the new can of Dust Off in his hands. Kyle was dead.

I am a police officer and I had never heard of this. My wife is a nurse and she had never heard of this. We later found out from the coroner, after the autopsy, that only the propellant from the can of Dust off was in his system. No other drugs. Kyle had died between midnight and 1 Am.

I found out that using Dust Off is being done mostly by kids ages 9 through 15. They even have a name for it. It's called dusting. A take off from the Dust Off name. It gives them a slight high for about 10 seconds. It makes them dizzy. A boy who lives down the street from us showed Kyle how to do this about a month before. Kyle showed his best friend. Told him it was cool and it couldn't hurt you. It's just compressed air. It can't hurt you. His best friend said no.

Kyle's death
Kyle was wrong. It's not just compresses air. It also contains a propellant. I think its R2. It's a refrigerant like what is used in your refrigerator. It is a heavy gas.-Heavier than air. When you inhale it, it fills your lungs and keeps the good air, with oxygen, out. That's why you feel dizzy, buzzed. It decreases the oxygen to your brain, to your heart. Kyle was right. It can't hurt you. IT KILLS YOU. The horrible part about this is there is no warning. There is no level that kills you. It's not cumulative or an overdose; it can just go randomly, terribly wrong. Roll the dice and if your number comes up you die. IT'S NOT AN OVERDOSE. It's Russian roulette. You don't die later. Or not feel good and say I've had too much. You usually die as your breathing it in. If not you die within 2 seconds of finishing "the hit." That's why the straw was still in Kyle's mouth when he died. Why his eyes were still open.

The experts want to call this huffing. The kids don't believe its huffing. As adults we tend to lump many things together. But it doesn't fit here. And that's why it's more accepted. There is no chemical reaction. no strong odor. It doesn't follow the huffing signals. Kyle complained a few days before he died of his tongue hurting. It probably did. The propellant causes frostbite. If I had only known.

It's easy to say hay, it's my life and I'll do what I want. But it isn't. Others are always affected. This has forever changed our family's life. I have a hole in my heart and soul that can never be fixed. The pain is so immense I can't describe it. There's nowhere to run from it. I cry all the time and I don't ever cry. I do what I'm supposed to do but I don't really care. My kids are messed up. One won't talk about it. The other will only sleep in our room at night. And my wife, I can't even describe how bad she is taking this. I thought we were safe because of Thor. I thought we were safe because we knew about drugs and talked to our kids about them.

After Kyle died another story came out. A Probation Officer went to the school system next to ours to speak with a student. While there he found a student using Dust Off in the bathroom. This student told him about another student who also had some in his locker. This is a rather affluent school system. They will tell you they don't have a drug problem there. They don't even have a dare or plus program there. So rather than tell everyone about this "new" way of getting high they found, they hid it. The probation officer told the media after Kyle's death and they, the school, then admitted to it. I know that if they would have told the media and I had heard, it wouldn't have been in my house.

We need to get this out of our homes and school computer labs.

Using Dust Off isn't new and some "professionals" do know about. It just isn't talked about much, except by the kids. They know about it.

April 2nd was 1 month since Kyle died. April 5th would have been his 15th birthday. And every weekday I catch myself sitting on the living room couch at 2:30 in the afternoon and waiting to see him get off the bus. I know Kyle is in heaven but I can't help but wonder If I died and went to Hell.

Commentary:
Sadly, the information outlined in this email forward is true. On the 2nd March 2005, 14-year-old Kyle Williams of Painesville Township, Ohio died after inhaling Dust-Off. As outlined in the email, Dust-Off is a product that contains a compressed gas used for removing the dust from computers. Kyle's father, Jeff is indeed a police officer in Cleveland, Ohio.

Unfortunately, many consumers are under the mistaken impression that Dust-Off and similar products contain a seemingly harmless product - compressed air. In fact, such products are commonly referred to as "canned air". However, the products actually contain a compressed gas, NOT compressed air. Because of this misconception, parents and children may not realize how dangerous inhaling them can be. This is an important issue, as such seemingly trivial misconceptions can have a quite powerful influence on the way consumers conceive of and use a product. In fact, a representative from Falcon, the company that manufactures Dust-Off, has contacted me after reading an earlier version of this article. He states that:

We are hoping you can help clarify a misconception about our product. As you noted, most people refer to our product as "canned air", when in reality the product is filled with a compressed-gas. Our company makes it a practice to never refer to the product in such a manner as it is misleading to consumers. We believe that referring to our product as "canned air" gives individuals a false sense of comfort and, therefore, they believe it to be harmless if directly inhaled.

An article on the Falcon website discusses this topic more thoroughly.

Falcon also has the following information on its website:

As a leading manufacturer of one of the world's most versatile aerosol products, Falcon recognizes that among the issues surrounding aerosol product distribution and usage is that of inhalant abuse or "huffing". It is imperative that consumers of aerosol products, parents and children all understand the seriousness of this practice.

Dust-Off cans also carry the following warning:

A cleaning duster is a serious product. Inhalant abuse is illegal and can cause permanent injury or be fatal. Please use our product responsibly.

Inhalant abuse, or "huffing", is a serious problem that has killed and maimed many children and young adults around the world. It is important that parents and guardians educate themselves and their children about inhalant abuse. The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition website is an excellent resource on the subject.

As a parent, my heart goes out to Kyle's grieving family. Perhaps we can help to prevent similar tragedies by taking steps to let others know about the dangers of inhalant abuse.

References:
Falcon Website: Issues Surrounding Inhalant Abuse and Huffing
Falcon Website: What Are The Health Hazards Associated With Abuse?
Falcon Website: Making The Right Choice
The Plain Dealer: A dire warning from a grieving dad
The News-Herald: Riverside High School continues to grieve
Write-up by Brett M.Christensen

The Major Health Benefits of Going Barefoot (Really!)

by SixWise.com

"Set your feet free and your mind will follow." So goes the logo on the Society for Barefoot Living homepage. Why, you may be wondering, is there a society devoted just to people who love to live barefoot? If you ask the barefooters of the world, chances are the first thing they'll say is that it just feels great.

"We enjoy walking barefoot as nature intended, taking delight in feeling the many textures the world has to offer -- " says the Society.

Not convinced that you're ready to throw your shoes away just yet? Well, going barefoot doesn't just feel good--it's really proven to be good for you! Here are some reasons why:
Say Goodbye to Troubled Feet

The introduction of the now out-of-print book "Take Off Your Shoes and Walk" by Simon J. Wikler D.S.C., states that, " -- Practically all shoes worn daily by men and women in our Western civilization have little relation to the shape of the human foot -- Most adults' foot trouble would either not exist or would be much less bothersome if properly-shaped shoes had been worn during childhood or, better yet, if those people had gone barefoot -- "

The book details a bit about the history of foot trouble, only to reveal that:

a.. There is no record of foot troubles in Biblical times comparable to modern foot ills.

b.. The seeds of foot trouble were first sown in the Renaissance.

c.. The introduction of the elevated heel and the pointed toe marked the beginning of modern foot disabilities.
The book also describes a study performed from 1957-1960 that examined whether a mother's objections to letting her child walk barefoot influenced the health of the child's feet. It was found that children who were allowed to go barefoot often had:

a.. Less deformed toes

b.. Greater flexor strength

c.. More ability to spread the toes

d.. Denser muscles on the bottom of the feet

e.. Greater agility than those who had never gone barefoot

f.. A wider range of hip circumduction and more flexibility of the gluteal and hamstring muscles, which gave them more ability to touch their toes when their knees were held stiff
Keep Your Feet From Getting Lazy

"Shoes often protect the feet so much that certain foot muscles get lazy because they're not being used," said James DeMarco, running coach and sports store owner.

That's why more people than you'd think have taken to running in bare feet. Marathon runners from Kenya do it all the time, but in the United States you're most likely to see a barefoot runner on the beach. Still, there are those who venture to other areas like grassy fields and even hiking trails.

If you're thinking that running barefoot sounds strange, consider the findings of Michael Warburton, a physical therapist in Australia. In a 2001 research paper he wrote that running barefoot decreases the likelihood of ankle sprains and chronic injuries, such as plantar fasciitis. And, wearing shoes actually increases the risk of sprains because they make runners unaware of the foot's position.

It's not as far-fetched as it may sound -- Nike has just released the Nike Free, a "shoe that lets your foot run free on any surface." It's designed to mimic the effects of running barefoot. According to Nike, "Studies show that barefoot training leads to stronger feet, that stronger feet lead to a stronger body, and that natural movement enhances agility."

Fight Varicose Veins

Going barefoot can actually help prevent vein problems. Why? The motion you get from your unrestricted foot helps the leg muscles pump blood back to the heart. The motion may not be as effective if your foot is confined in a shoe.

It's Just More Relaxing
Going barefoot really puts you in a different sort of mindset, and is usually only reserved for those special, relaxing moments.

Think about when you tend to go barefoot -- at the beach, at home on the carpet, walking on cool grass in the summer, -- and you'll get an idea of what we mean. Exercises geared toward strengthening the body and relaxing the mind (yoga, tai chi, martial arts) are also typically practiced barefoot.


"Maybe the whole world secretly understands that free feet produce a different, more philosophical, relaxed, and unbusinesslike mindset. Without shoes, our ambitions would fade away, wolfish trade practices seem too much trouble, international frictions look foolish. Armies would curl up to take a nap. Nobody would get any serious work done," wrote Barbara Holland in Endangered Pleasures. Or maybe we should all take our shoes off next time we're at work, and see just how stress-free we become?

Get More Chi

According to some ancient philosophies, life-force energy called Chi (also called Qi or Prana) can be absorbed through the soles of the feet. Ground Chi is absorbed automatically and unconsciously when walking barefoot, which increases the amount of Chi absorbed by the body.

It's said that you can consciously learn to absorb more Chi from the ground as you walk to increase your vitality, your capacity to do more work and your ability to think more clearly. Now there's a reason for going barefoot more often if we ever heard one!

Sources

The Roanoke Times June 15, 2005

Society for Barefoot Living

Barefoot and Healthy

Gardening with All Purpose H

Thank you Farmers wife, Mildred Smith, from ions ago – who says,

"Shaklee is not a business, but a way of life! "


For Tomatoes: 3oz of all purpose H w/ 1oz of Ligui-lea and 5 gallons of water – apply after planting

Trickler Systems – Flowers: 100 gallon systems – 18 oz of all purpose H w/4oz of Ligui-lea, mix w/ water - Apply twice a week

Spray Formula – Flowers: Mix ½ oz of all purpose H with 1oz of Liqui – lea and 3 gallons of water. Spray twice a week

Apple Scab – 1 quart all purpose H – 100 gallons of water. Spray apples as you would lime sulphur. Spray at pre - blossom and at petal fall, then every 15 days, for the best results.

Orange Groves: To clean irrigation lines: 2 7/8 gallons all purpose H to 90,000 gallons of water

Lawn Care: To increase water absorption 200%!! Buy an Ortho bottle. Fill this w/ all purpose H and hook to your hose. Continually spray your yard, don’t let it soak. Just go along your grass until it is gone. Fill again if it is necessary. Do this 4-5 times per year, beginning in April, making sure to also do it late in the summer

Grubs: 1 ½ quart H – ½ pint Barefoot's Germicide – 10-12 – gallons of water. Spray every 100 ft Use Ortho bottle or injector

Dandelions: 100 sq ft – Use Ortho Spryer or hose w/ valve sytem – 2 quarts of all purpose H – 1 bottle of Liqui-lea – ½ pint Barefoot's Germicide – Should be used with some form of liquid fertilizer. Apply twice a year

Weeds: pull a bucket per day – a sick lawn supports weeds – a healthy lawn does not support weeds.
Trees – nursery stock, seedlings, or seed beds: Mix 1oz of all purpose H with gallon of water. Spray on whole seedling and around entire trunk. Apply every 10 days.

Trees - 3-4 feet tall: Mix 1 quart of all purpose H with 8 quarts of Water. From this mixture, feed at the base of the tree 1 Cup of solution twice per day for the first day , then once a day until the solution is gone.


Trees - 4-8 ft tall: Mix 1 quart of all purpose H w/ 6 quarts of water. From this mixture, Feed at the base of the tree. Use 1 pint of the mixture twice a day for 2 days and then 1 pint thereafter until the mixture is gone. Feedings are of a mixed solution. Do this 3 times per year.

Trees – 8 ft an up: Mix 1 quart of all purpose H w/ 5 quarts of water. Feed one quart of the solution each day until the solution is gone. Do this twice a year.

Small Evergreens: Mix 1oz of all purpose H with gallon of water. Add 1 oz of liqui – lea for proper vitamin needs. Spray on whole seedling and around entire trunk. Apply every 10 days.

Evergreens: Add 8 oz of Liqui-lea to 8 ft an up Mix 1 quart of all purpose H w/ 5 quarts of water. Feed one quart of the solution each day until the solution is gone. Do this twice a year.

Lawn Shrubs and bushes: For any type of evergreen shrub use 1 teas all purpose H and 1 teas of Liqui-lea per gallon of water.

Hard wood shrubs and small trees: Use ½ oz all purpose H w/ 1 gallon of water. Spray once every 2 weeks or if insects appear.