A fame-seeking teenager died attempting an alarming social-media challenge called “dusting,” according to her heartbroken parents.
Renna O’Rourke, a 19-year-old from Arizona, tragically passed away on Sunday after participating in a dangerous online trend known as “chroming,” where individuals record themselves inhaling keyboard cleaning spray to achieve a high and gain online attention.
Her father, Aaron O’Rourke, shared with AZ Family, “She always said, ‘I’m gonna be famous, Dad. Just you watch. I’m gonna be famous,’ but sadly, this fame didn’t come about in the way she had hoped.”
The teenager from Tempe suffered a cardiac arrest and was immediately taken to the hospital. After spending a week unconscious in the intensive care unit, she was declared brain-dead.
Her cause of death was sudden-sniffing-death syndrome, or inhalant abuse.
“We don’t have children to bury them,” Renna’s mother, Dana, said through tears.
Dr. Randy Weisman, who heads the intensive care unit at Arizona’s HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center, said dusting makes the user feel high for a couple of minutes — but in that short amount of time, it can have an irreversible impact.
“When [people] inhale these chemicals in the gas, it will actually replace the oxygen within their lungs and within the rest of their body,” he told AZ Family.
“Failure of the liver, heart failure, disease of the lungs,” Weisman said of the resulting dangers.
Renna’s parents said they are sharing their tragic story to raise awareness about the fatal trend.
“There’s no ID required” to buy the cleaner, Dana O’Rourke said. “[The spray] is odorless.
“[The method of getting high] is everything kids look for. They can afford it, they can get it, and it doesn’t show in Mom and Dad’s drug test.
“Don’t take your kid’s word for it. Dig deep. Search their rooms. Don’t trust — and that sounds horrible, but it could save their life,” she added.
Dusting users get high off chemicals that are different than the other inhalants also popular among teens, such as “whippets,” Dr. Weisman said.
Both are equally unsafe, he said, urging parents to talk to their children about the dangers of abusing household products.
