News (Media Awareness Project) - UK: It Killed My Son And Your Kid May Be Next |
| Title: | UK: It Killed My Son And Your Kid May Be Next |
| Published On: | 2002-07-02 |
| Source: | Daily Record (UK) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-23 02:56:51 |
IT KILLED MY SON AND YOUR KID MAY BE NEXT
Please Help Me End This
Butane Buzzing Russian Roulette
Grieving Dad John Demands The Scottish Parliament Take Swift Action
THE father of a schoolboy who died after sniffing lighter fuel is waging a
star-studded war against shopkeepers dealing in death.
Battling John O'Brien is calling on the Scottish Parliament to bring in new
laws to stop them selling the poison to children.
The papermill worker launched a campaign in memory of his son Lee, 16, who
was found slumped on the floor by his pregnant girlfriend.
John, 47, of Methil, Fife, already has the backing of movie star Dougray
Scott and plans to enlist the support of Prince William and snooker
champion Stephen Hendry.
Last night, he dubbed butane gas the childhood drug of the 21st century and
revealed that up to 20 per of schoolkids have dabbled in the habit.
Around 80 British children die every year of lighter fuel abuse, 10 per
cent in Scotland.
John says that each time a child sniffs the poisonous gas they are playing
a game of Russian Roulette.
He said: "There are children dying at the age of seven because shopkeepers
are selling them cans of gas.
"My son died because shopkeepers are being allowed to sell children deadly
gas willy-nilly.
"You have got to be 18 to buy the gas, but shops do not have to display any
signs unlike alcohol or cigarettes.
"I want the Government to change the law to make shopkeepers record every
sale, ask for identification and get purchasers to sign for the gas."
John has set up a campaign called LOST - the Lee O'Brien Solvent Trust.
The aim is to help parents who have lost children to gas abuse and to raise
awareness of the dangers in schools.
John said: "People think that lighter fuel abuse is a trend that has passed
- - but it has made a comeback and it is the youth drug of 2002 because it is
so cheap and easy to obtain.
"Most parents won't believe this, but many schoolkids are actually sniffing
it in the playground between classes or in their bedrooms at night.
"What these children do not know is that sooner or later it will kill them.
"Just like my son, one day it will catch the back of their throats,
freezing the muscles and stopping oxygen from getting to the lungs."
He added: "The heart beats much faster. Within 20 seconds, their heart will
explode and they will be dead.
"If it doesn't kill them it will almost certainly leave them with severe
brain damage. The youngest victim was a seven-year-old boy, which is almost
beyond belief.
"Shopkeepers know there is a profit to be made dealing in death.
"They stock up on these cans of fuel because they know there will be a rush
during school lunch hour."
Movie star Scott pledged his support and signed a petition after being
named honorary chieftain of the Highland Games in Markinch, Glenrothes,
earlier this month.
Now John plans to present at least 100,000 signatures to the Scottish
Parliament and is confident Wills, who is studying at St Andrews
University, will get behind the life-saving cause.
John is also hoping Scots snooker star Hendry, who went to the same school
as his son in Inverkeithing, will pledge his support.
Fife MSP Marilyn Livingstone has put a motion to the Parliament demanding
action to cut the death rate among youngsters.
She has the backing of 23 MSPs and plans to meet Justice Minister Jim
Wallace to hammer out details.
She said: "There is so much support for a change in the law that I've no
doubt we will be successful.
"What we need is more signatures for the petition and for other parents who
have lost children to get behind the campaign so that we can save the lives
of future youngsters."
Ralph McGregor, of Re-Solv Scotland, the Society for the Prevention of
Solvent and Volatile Substance Abuse, also wants action taken against
shopkeepers.
He said: "The number of deaths and users in Scotland is extremely alarming
and lighter fuel abuse has become more common.
"We are right behind John's campaign. We have to make shopkeepers more
accountable.
"If we make it difficult for children to buy lighter fuel, it will save lives.
"We also want a test-purchasing scheme being piloted in Scotland at the
moment to be introduced as a matter of course.
"It would mean under-18s being sent into shops to see who will sell to them
and prosecutions can follow."
Earlier this year, the Record revealed Paula Fyfe was under a death
sentence at the age of just 18.
The once lively, happy teenager is addicted to the butane gas she began
sniffing five years ago.
There is no medical help to save her from the deadly habit.
Paula is now in hospital after being sectioned by her desperate family
under the Mental Health Act.
But stepfather Matthew said: "She can only be treated for depression, not
her gas addiction.
"You have groups for gamblers, alcoholics and drug abusers - but not for
volatile solvent abuse.
"Heroin addicts get methadone, smokers get patches, solvent abuse addicts
get nothing. They have been condemned to die."
The Deadly Truth About Lighter Fuel
Children inhale the poisonous lighter fuel. In the lungs, it is quickly
absorbed into the bloodstream, creating a euphoric feeling.
Users give the impression of being drunk, staggering and slurring their
words. They can suffer hallucinations and their perceptions are distorted.
Side-effects are extremely unpleasant and include vomiting, disorientation
and dizziness.
The buzz only lasts for a few minutes, so users feel the need to keep
topping it up.
But the gas can freeze the back of the throat, damaging the tissue and
causing swelling and suffocation within 20 seconds.
Victims who don't die are often left with permanent brain damage.
It can also stop the heart, starving the brain of oxygen and causing
"sudden sniffing death".
Lighter fuel has become the children's drug because it is so cheap and easy
to hide from parents and teachers.
At only 98p for a 250gram can and widely available in corner shops and
petrol stations, it's cheaper than a bottle of booze.
"Hangovers" can arise after intensive use and often consist of headaches,
drowsiness and confusion.
Children with asthma can make their condition worse by inhaling butane gas.
But many other users have upper respiratory side-effects, similar to the
common cold.
Persistent use can cause a rash around the mouth and nose.
Toll Of Despair
Fallon Harrigan
The Paisley schoolgirl, 16, died after her boyfriend bought a can of butane
gas for them to buzz. But Gordon Hampsay, 19, was shown mercy by a judge in
April this year after he admitted killing her by giving her the lighter fuel.
Rachel Denholm
Rachel, 15, died after her first hit of lighter fuel caused severe brain
damage. She was in a coma for 15 months. Her brain had swollen through lack
of oxygen and she eventually lost her fight for life at Dundee Royal
Hospital in 1998.
Angela Stevenson
THE13-year-old suffered horrific burns when she lit a cigarette after
sniffing lighter fuel. Angela, of Halbeath, near Dunfermline, Fife, had to
have extensive plastic surgery after spilling petrol on her clothes while
inhaling fumes.
Ross McNally
The would-be fighter pilot was left brain damaged and with the mind of a
five-year-old after experimenting with lighter fuel.
The teenager, once a bright schoolboy from Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, now
lives "in his own wee world".
Dawn Bell
Mum-of-two Dawn, from Inverness, was only 24 when she died after sniffing
lighter fuel in her home. Her sons were only five months and three years
old when the solvent abuser lost her fight for life in 1997.
Archie Craig
Teenager Archie died from inhaling fuel bought for just £1 from a shop last
summer.
The student collapsed in the street just minutes from his home in
Glasgow.His parents Archie and Jan called for a campaign to warn youngsters.
Carrie McAloon
Carrie died when she sniffed fuel for the first time just hours after
celebrating her 15th birthday in 1995. The teenager was found slumped next
to her parents' bed, in Polbeth, West Lothian.
If You Need Help
John O'Brien is desperate for support for LOST and can be contacted on
01592 714501. Anyone wishing to back the campaign, or who wants more
information on solvent abuse, can contact ReSolv on 01506 881498. Or if
your child has died or been injured by lighter fuel abuse contact the
Record on 0141 309 3251.
Please Help Me End This
Butane Buzzing Russian Roulette
Grieving Dad John Demands The Scottish Parliament Take Swift Action
THE father of a schoolboy who died after sniffing lighter fuel is waging a
star-studded war against shopkeepers dealing in death.
Battling John O'Brien is calling on the Scottish Parliament to bring in new
laws to stop them selling the poison to children.
The papermill worker launched a campaign in memory of his son Lee, 16, who
was found slumped on the floor by his pregnant girlfriend.
John, 47, of Methil, Fife, already has the backing of movie star Dougray
Scott and plans to enlist the support of Prince William and snooker
champion Stephen Hendry.
Last night, he dubbed butane gas the childhood drug of the 21st century and
revealed that up to 20 per of schoolkids have dabbled in the habit.
Around 80 British children die every year of lighter fuel abuse, 10 per
cent in Scotland.
John says that each time a child sniffs the poisonous gas they are playing
a game of Russian Roulette.
He said: "There are children dying at the age of seven because shopkeepers
are selling them cans of gas.
"My son died because shopkeepers are being allowed to sell children deadly
gas willy-nilly.
"You have got to be 18 to buy the gas, but shops do not have to display any
signs unlike alcohol or cigarettes.
"I want the Government to change the law to make shopkeepers record every
sale, ask for identification and get purchasers to sign for the gas."
John has set up a campaign called LOST - the Lee O'Brien Solvent Trust.
The aim is to help parents who have lost children to gas abuse and to raise
awareness of the dangers in schools.
John said: "People think that lighter fuel abuse is a trend that has passed
- - but it has made a comeback and it is the youth drug of 2002 because it is
so cheap and easy to obtain.
"Most parents won't believe this, but many schoolkids are actually sniffing
it in the playground between classes or in their bedrooms at night.
"What these children do not know is that sooner or later it will kill them.
"Just like my son, one day it will catch the back of their throats,
freezing the muscles and stopping oxygen from getting to the lungs."
He added: "The heart beats much faster. Within 20 seconds, their heart will
explode and they will be dead.
"If it doesn't kill them it will almost certainly leave them with severe
brain damage. The youngest victim was a seven-year-old boy, which is almost
beyond belief.
"Shopkeepers know there is a profit to be made dealing in death.
"They stock up on these cans of fuel because they know there will be a rush
during school lunch hour."
Movie star Scott pledged his support and signed a petition after being
named honorary chieftain of the Highland Games in Markinch, Glenrothes,
earlier this month.
Now John plans to present at least 100,000 signatures to the Scottish
Parliament and is confident Wills, who is studying at St Andrews
University, will get behind the life-saving cause.
John is also hoping Scots snooker star Hendry, who went to the same school
as his son in Inverkeithing, will pledge his support.
Fife MSP Marilyn Livingstone has put a motion to the Parliament demanding
action to cut the death rate among youngsters.
She has the backing of 23 MSPs and plans to meet Justice Minister Jim
Wallace to hammer out details.
She said: "There is so much support for a change in the law that I've no
doubt we will be successful.
"What we need is more signatures for the petition and for other parents who
have lost children to get behind the campaign so that we can save the lives
of future youngsters."
Ralph McGregor, of Re-Solv Scotland, the Society for the Prevention of
Solvent and Volatile Substance Abuse, also wants action taken against
shopkeepers.
He said: "The number of deaths and users in Scotland is extremely alarming
and lighter fuel abuse has become more common.
"We are right behind John's campaign. We have to make shopkeepers more
accountable.
"If we make it difficult for children to buy lighter fuel, it will save lives.
"We also want a test-purchasing scheme being piloted in Scotland at the
moment to be introduced as a matter of course.
"It would mean under-18s being sent into shops to see who will sell to them
and prosecutions can follow."
Earlier this year, the Record revealed Paula Fyfe was under a death
sentence at the age of just 18.
The once lively, happy teenager is addicted to the butane gas she began
sniffing five years ago.
There is no medical help to save her from the deadly habit.
Paula is now in hospital after being sectioned by her desperate family
under the Mental Health Act.
But stepfather Matthew said: "She can only be treated for depression, not
her gas addiction.
"You have groups for gamblers, alcoholics and drug abusers - but not for
volatile solvent abuse.
"Heroin addicts get methadone, smokers get patches, solvent abuse addicts
get nothing. They have been condemned to die."
The Deadly Truth About Lighter Fuel
Children inhale the poisonous lighter fuel. In the lungs, it is quickly
absorbed into the bloodstream, creating a euphoric feeling.
Users give the impression of being drunk, staggering and slurring their
words. They can suffer hallucinations and their perceptions are distorted.
Side-effects are extremely unpleasant and include vomiting, disorientation
and dizziness.
The buzz only lasts for a few minutes, so users feel the need to keep
topping it up.
But the gas can freeze the back of the throat, damaging the tissue and
causing swelling and suffocation within 20 seconds.
Victims who don't die are often left with permanent brain damage.
It can also stop the heart, starving the brain of oxygen and causing
"sudden sniffing death".
Lighter fuel has become the children's drug because it is so cheap and easy
to hide from parents and teachers.
At only 98p for a 250gram can and widely available in corner shops and
petrol stations, it's cheaper than a bottle of booze.
"Hangovers" can arise after intensive use and often consist of headaches,
drowsiness and confusion.
Children with asthma can make their condition worse by inhaling butane gas.
But many other users have upper respiratory side-effects, similar to the
common cold.
Persistent use can cause a rash around the mouth and nose.
Toll Of Despair
Fallon Harrigan
The Paisley schoolgirl, 16, died after her boyfriend bought a can of butane
gas for them to buzz. But Gordon Hampsay, 19, was shown mercy by a judge in
April this year after he admitted killing her by giving her the lighter fuel.
Rachel Denholm
Rachel, 15, died after her first hit of lighter fuel caused severe brain
damage. She was in a coma for 15 months. Her brain had swollen through lack
of oxygen and she eventually lost her fight for life at Dundee Royal
Hospital in 1998.
Angela Stevenson
THE13-year-old suffered horrific burns when she lit a cigarette after
sniffing lighter fuel. Angela, of Halbeath, near Dunfermline, Fife, had to
have extensive plastic surgery after spilling petrol on her clothes while
inhaling fumes.
Ross McNally
The would-be fighter pilot was left brain damaged and with the mind of a
five-year-old after experimenting with lighter fuel.
The teenager, once a bright schoolboy from Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, now
lives "in his own wee world".
Dawn Bell
Mum-of-two Dawn, from Inverness, was only 24 when she died after sniffing
lighter fuel in her home. Her sons were only five months and three years
old when the solvent abuser lost her fight for life in 1997.
Archie Craig
Teenager Archie died from inhaling fuel bought for just £1 from a shop last
summer.
The student collapsed in the street just minutes from his home in
Glasgow.His parents Archie and Jan called for a campaign to warn youngsters.
Carrie McAloon
Carrie died when she sniffed fuel for the first time just hours after
celebrating her 15th birthday in 1995. The teenager was found slumped next
to her parents' bed, in Polbeth, West Lothian.
If You Need Help
John O'Brien is desperate for support for LOST and can be contacted on
01592 714501. Anyone wishing to back the campaign, or who wants more
information on solvent abuse, can contact ReSolv on 01506 881498. Or if
your child has died or been injured by lighter fuel abuse contact the
Record on 0141 309 3251.
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