Britain: 11-year-old died after a new challenge on TikTok – What is “chroming” – 2024-03-10 09:07:40

He lost his life after a new dangerous challenge that is circulating in TikTok an 11-year-old boy from Britain.

11-year-old Tommy Lee Gacy Billington who participated in the so-called “chroming”, suffered a heart attack at a friend’s home in Lancaster. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he breathed his last, despite the efforts of doctors to keep him alive.

“He died instantly while he had gone to a friend’s house to spend the night. The boys had tried the TikTok ‘chroming’ challenge,” said the boy’s grandmother, Tina Burns. “He had a heart of gold like his father. Our family is completely devastated,” she added.

What is chroming

In the new ‘chroming’ challenge, teenagers inhale fumes from common household items such as aerosols, acetone (nail polish remover), paint thinners and cleaning products in order to become dizzy. At the same time, they make videos of the process and its results, which are then posted on social media.

This strain can cause severe brain damage, suffocation, cardiac arrest, and more with just one puff. A scientist specializing in toxicology explained to UPMC why this particular practice is so dangerous.

“It’s about inhaling all kinds of hydrocarbons. Substances such as metallic paints contain a certain hydrocarbon that can have an intoxicating effect on the body,” he noted.

“Typically, the particular hydrocarbon that people look for in metallic paints is something called toluene, which is intoxicating. The harm varies depending on how they get it, he added. Its abuse can have short-term and long-term effects on health, and even be fatal,” he stressed.

Short-term effects may include suffocation, cardiac arrest, choking, coma, convulsions or seizures. “If you’re not careful, especially when using a bag, you can run out of oxygen and essentially die of suffocation. You are really putting yourself at risk,” concluded the scientist.

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