A teenager from Arizona died after participating in a social media challenge known as “dusting”—a viral trend in which individuals use computer cleaning sprays.
Renna O’Rourke went into cardiac arrest after inhaling fumes from a compressed air product typically used to clean keyboards—an act also referred to as “huffing.”
She was taken to the hospital where she spent almost an entire week in intensive care before being pronounced brain-dead.
She was said to have died due to Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome (SSDS), an illness that is developed after smelling toxic materials.
Dana O’Rourke, the mother of Renna, said that the product had been bought online by Renna and her boyfriend secretly without their knowledge.
“There’s no age verification. It’s odorless and cheap—everything that makes it appealing to teenagers,” Dana said.
What is the ‘dusting’ trend?
The trend involves inhaling pressurized gas from household items such as keyboard cleaners to achieve a rapid high. Popular on social platforms like TikTok, it is often filmed and shared for online engagement. Despite the seemingly harmless appearance of the product, inhalation can disrupt heart rhythms and lead to sudden death.
