Dangerous 'Chroming' Trend Is on the Rise Among Teens—What Parents Need to Know Here's why it's so dangerous
Chroming is a new word for huffing, and it's making the rounds on TikTok
- “Chroming” is the act of inhaling everyday household items such as nail polish or markers to try to get high.
- While sniffing legal products for their temporary hallucinatory effects is not new for young people, chroming is currently gaining traction on social media platforms like TikTok.
- A recent study analyzing more than 100 TikTok videos about chroming with over 25 million views found that most posts attracted a younger audience and normalized the dangerous trend.
A dangerous practice is gaining traction among teenagers. Dubbed “chroming,” it involves inhaling everyday household items such as nail polish or markers to try to get high.
Though the term chroming might be new, sniffing run-of-the-mill items for their temporary hallucinatory effects has long been popular with younger people. “It’s been called huffing, puffing, ragging, and bagging,” Bruce Ruck, PharmD, managing director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, told Health.
In 2015, there were 684,000 Americans between the ages of 12 and 17 using inhalants, according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The number dropped to 554,000 in 2022 but has begun to creep back up, reaching 564,000 in 2023.
The resurgence is largely due to social media, said Rachel Kim, a researcher at Cohen Children’s Northwell Health and co-author of a recent study analyzing TikTok videos about chroming. “Items involved in chroming are very easily accessible,” she told Health.
Here’s what else to know about chroming, including the dangers involved and how to reduce the risk of your child doing it.
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What Does Chroming Entail?
Chroming is the act of intentionally using legal products to inhale hydrocarbons and other volatile gasses and vapors. The practice reportedly gets its name from the residue people get on their faces and hands after inhaling metallic paint.
“People who do this are seeking a high from these products,” Hannah Hays, MD, chief of toxicology and medical director of the Central Ohio Poison Center, told Health.
Chroming is “highly addictive,” Kim added.
Her study, presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2024 National Conference, looked at 109 TikTok videos that referenced chroming and gained over 25 million views. Kim and her colleagues found that in more than half of the videos, users mentioned repeatedly chroming or being addicted to chroming.
Many of the videos also appeared under the hashtag #WhipTok, a play on the word “whippets,” which refers to a product containing nitrous oxide that's inhaled recreationally.
Most teens in the chroming videos—31%—used permanent markers to chrome, the study found. Meanwhile, 17% used air dusters, 12% inhaled nail polish, and 11% used paint thinner, gasoline, and spray deodorant. Hairspray was the inhalant of choice for 6% of TikTokers.
Whipped cream canisters are also a chroming favorite. The culinary company Galaxy Gas recently stopped selling its canisters and added an alert about misusing its products to its website after learning kids were using the brand’s candy-flavored nitrous oxide products to chrome.
Why Is Chroming So Dangerous?
Chroming can cause a range of potentially serious health consequences. “Users can develop drowsiness, dizziness, slurred speech, and can become unsteady on their feet, leading to an increased risk of falls,” Hays said. Nausea and vomiting are also common, she added.
But chroming can also lead to more serious health issues, including abnormal heart rhythms and seizures, Hays said. “You can also stop breathing,” Ruck added.
Chroming has been blamed for the March death of an 11-year-old in the U.K. after he tried it during a sleepover as part of a social media challenge. Tommie-Lee Gracie Billington suffered cardiac arrest and quickly died after purposefully inhaling fumes.
“Unfortunately, kids can have severe outcomes after chroming only once,” Hays said.
Why Are Kids Doing This?
While chroming isn’t new, Kim said it’s becoming more popular thanks to social media. Her research found that 70% of the posts on chroming were memes, “which attracts the younger audience and perpetuates normalization.”
As a result, children may believe that chroming is a safer alternative to traditional drugs, she added.
Inhalants are also easy to find: “Unlike traditional drugs that are inaccessible to teens, these items are generally sold everywhere,” Kim said.
Is Vaping Bad For You?How to Lower the Risk of Chroming
Because items used to chrome “are so common and necessary, it is difficult to lower the risks,” Kim said. “However, it may be helpful to keep these items out of the hands of smaller children.”
Ruck recommends asking questions if you notice your child suddenly buying nail polish but not using it, having more than one can of a computer duster, or taking up a “baking habit” without actually whipping anything up in the kitchen. “Look for things that change, and things around the house that were there and then suddenly not there,” he said.
Kim also suggested monitoring social media use. “Making sure children are educated and are kept away from harmful influence on social media is crucial as well,” she said.
Hays thinks parents should talk to their kids about chroming in an “open and non-judgemental way.”
“Educating children about the risks of chroming and setting clear expectations and boundaries is an effective strategy to discourage substance use,” she said. “By providing this structure, you can send a clear message that chroming is not acceptable.”
This story originally appeared on: Health News - Author:Korin Miller
