Copyright: 2004 The Gazette, a division of Southam Inc.
Contact: letters@thegazette.canwest.com
Website: http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274
Author: Sidhartha Banerjee, The Gazette
Note: Canadian Press (wire service) contributed to this report

TEENS DIE AFTER INHALING BUTANE

One In Brossard, One In Mont St. Gregoire

Two Monteregie teenagers have died in the past two days after inhaling
fumes from butane gas containers, prompting police and poison control
experts to warn teens and parents about the dangers of 'huffing'.

A 17-year-old boy was found dead in the bedroom of his Brossard home by his
father just after 9 p.m. last night.

Longueuil police found two containers of butane near the body, but are
calling it a suspicious death pending an autopsy, said Constable Gaetan
Durocher, a Longueuil police spokesperson.

On Sunday, a 16-year-old boy died after inhaling fumes from a container of
butane gas in what the Surete du Quebec has determined was an accidental
death or a failed attempt to get high.

The teen was found under similar circumstances, just after midnight by his
parents in the basement of the family home in Mont St. Gregoire, 40
kilometres southeast of Montreal. He was in cardiac arrest and a can of
butane was next to him.

Dr. Martin Laliberte, of the provincial poison control centre, said inhaled
solvents are the second-most popular drug among teens, after marijuana.

Youths have easy access to solvents like butane because they're available
in many stores and are cheaper than marijuana or other illicit drugs, he added.

While huffing can kill someone the first time they inhale, repeated abuse
can also cause long-term brain damage. Solvents can kill by depriving an
individual of oxygen, inducing cardiac arrest, Laliberte explained.