“Chroming”, also known as “huffing” or “bagging”, has become a notorious – and potentially fatal – trend. Chroming is a form of recreational drug use that involves inhaling cheap and accessible but highly dangerous substances and solvents, such as deodorant aerosols, paints and permanent markers. Sniffing the chemicals gives an immediate euphoric high – but it comes at enormous risk.
In March 2024, Tommie-Lee Gracie Billington, an 11-year-old boy, died in the UK after inhaling toxic chemicals in aerosols. His grandmother, Tina Burns, blamed the chroming craze on TikTok for his death.
In August, 12-year-old Cesar Watson-King survived a cardiac arrest during a chroming challenge for social media. In Australia, 13-year-old Esra Hayes died last year after inhaling chemicals from an aerosol deodorant can while at a friend’s sleepover.
As well as inducing a fast high, chroming can cause sudden death. Inhaling chemicals can lead to cardiac sensitisation, when the heart becomes more sensitive to adrenaline and other catecholamine compounds…