HOLDING his dead daughter’s hand, devastated dad Paul Green told her how much he loved her.
Hours earlier, the 14-year-old, who was autistic and had sensory needs, had been shopping with her mum Clare and stocked up on her favorite deodorant.
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She was only 14 years old when she died in a tragic accident. Credits: Submitted
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Giorgia Green tragically died after accidentally inhaling her favorite deodorantCredit: Supplied
When she got home, she sprayed the scent around the room – but it proved fatal. She was found dead in her bed, wrapped in a blanket that she covered with a scent.
Now her heartbroken parents are warning other families about the dangers of aerosols as a new craze – dubbed ‘chroming’ – sweeps social media.
It refers to inhaling vapors from a toxic source, which doctors warn can cause loss of consciousness, potentially fatal suffocation and heart attack.
There has been a rise in Gen Z experimentation with solvent abuse – rampant in Britain in the late 80s and early 90s – and an expert likens it to ‘cheap cannabis’.
Although Giorgia’s death was a tragic accident, electrician Paul, 55, and administrator Clare, 54, are calling on manufacturers to put bigger warning labels on cans to make parents more aware that they can kill, so that more youngsters don’t suffer the same fate.
Paul told The Sun: “I was sitting in hospital, holding my daughter’s hand and I couldn’t believe what had happened. I could hardly speak. My baby is gone.”
TikTok was forced to remove a dangerous chrome challenge after it took the life of 13-year-old Australian girl Esra Haynes in March this year.
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Giorgia’s parents are calling for more warnings on cansCredit: Alamy
Paul said: “Giorgia may not have died in the same circumstances as Esra in Australia, but we find it very disturbing that someone died from the same product.
“I’m really worried that this will become a social media trend because people can die in an instant – that’s what’s so scary about aerosols.
“Everyone has a limit to how much of any toxic substance the body can handle.
“All it takes is a little bit over the tolerance level and you can end up like Giorgio.
“We knew that Giorgia liked to spray [her deodorant] around if she felt a bit anxious because it made her feel comfortable. But we had no idea how deadly it could be.”
We want to make sure that no one else in the country – or in the world – goes through what we went through
Paul Green
By law, aerosol deodorants must be printed with the warning “keep out of the reach of children,” but Paul suggests the wording is too small.
“A lot of people don’t notice the warning, so they don’t realize how dangerous the contents of those cans can be,” he said.
“We want to make sure that no one else in the country – or in the world – goes through what we went through.
“We don’t want our daughter’s death to be in vain.”
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Esra Haynes dies after ‘chroming’Credit: 9News
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Esra’s mom posted this picture to warn others of the potential harm. Credit: 9News
‘Cheap Cannabis’
Specialist Tony D’Agosinto, who trains drug workers, said young people in deprived areas of Britain see solvents as a cheap alternative to cannabis.
He said: “There are pockets across the country where solvent abuse is prevalent, particularly poor areas where it’s a cheap way to get high.
“Most of these products can be found at home or bought cheaply.”
Paul and Clare, who kept Giorgia’s room exactly as it was when she died, described their teenager as “full of joy”.
“If you’ve ever seen the movie Inside Out, Giorgia was the character Joy,” Paul said.
“She was passionately joyful and that was her natural state. She had an extraordinary sense of humor that was so sharp that it would take the average person seconds to pick up on it.
“Giorgia’s autism meant she had sensory needs and gravitated towards certain textures and smells.
“On the day she died in May last year, she and Clare went to the Derby center to buy her new blankets. She was willing to go and find some she liked.
“While Clare was there, she bought three bottles of deodorant for Giorgia, as she doesn’t like to shop too much and tends to stock up.”
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Giorgia with sister-in-law TerrieCredits: Submitted
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Clare and Paul kept the teenage room as it was Credits: Delivered
Afterwards, Clare and Giorgia’s older brother Corey, 30, went out and left her at home as part of an effort to build her independence.
But when they got home, Corey couldn’t wake his sister for drumming class and raised the alarm.
As paramedics desperately tried to save her life, Paul was just five minutes from their home after getting a “weird feeling” while working 12 miles away.
He said: “I had a really weird feeling in my stomach so I packed my things and headed home.
“I was about five minutes away when Clare called me in a panic and when I got to the house the street was sealed off and I thought ‘This is serious’.
“I ran upstairs and on the landing I saw paramedics working on Giorgia.”
She was taken to the Royal Derby Hospital, where Paul said a tearful goodbye. Clare was too distraught to leave.
An inquest into Giorgia’s death concluded that the home-schooled teenager died from an accident after inhaling an aerosol in her home.
A stern warning
Stephen Ream, director of the charity Re-Solv, warned young people against ‘chroming’: “It seems that craziness or challenges are sparked locally and a group of friends might pass by and then some people find they like it and secretly keep inhaling.
“It gives users a short-term high, but it gets you sober very quickly, so some people see it as a quick way to escape any problems in life.
“We often see this with young people who are really struggling with family problems.
“It is very dangerous. It’s flammable so there’s always a risk of fire, but the real risk is death because the heart starts beating irregularly and then stops.”
It’s very dangerous. But the real risk is death because the heart starts beating irregularly and then stops
Stephen Ream, Re-Solv
He said parents should be aware of the unusual amount of empty aerosol cans around the house, adding: “Families will call us and tell us they don’t understand why their child is doing this.
“They say they can understand using cannabis because it’s very ‘out there’, but they think inhaling aerosols is a very strange thing.”
The British Association of Aerosol Manufacturers said it was conducting a review of the solvent warning “misuse of solvents can kill instantly” (SACKI).
Chief executive Patrick Heskins said: “There are a number of warnings that we, as an industry, are required to put on the package by law.
“The SACKI warning is a voluntary industry recommendation. In collaboration with our member companies, we conduct a review of voluntary on-pack warnings to ensure that we fully communicate any potential risk, however small, to consumers.
“The intent is to ensure that the language used in all warnings best conveys such risk in a manner that is easily understood.
“We hope to complete this review before the end of 2024, at which time we will issue revised guidance for these marketing and manufacturing aerosols.”
He said social media companies should remove content that glamorizes solvent abuse.
For advice and help with the problem, contact https://www.re-solv.org/
KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE ONLINE
Internet expert Allison Troutner listed eight ways to protect children online:
- Consider a family “technical agreement”
- Report any harmful content you see
- Balance security with independence
- Keep your computer in a common area
- Password protect all accounts and devices
- Update your operating systems regularly
- Install security or antivirus programs and a VPN on your computer
- Set up parental controls
Learn more about each step in this article from The Sun.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education