Fumes - The Truth About Inhalants

In early 2021, a 16 year old girl was found by Queensland Police in bushland, unresponsive after directly inhaling toxic chemicals from several deodorant cans. She now suffers a permanent brain injury. This injury was the result of “chroming,” otherwise known as “sniffing”, or “huffing”, or what researchers refer to as Volatile Substance Misuse. This act of inhaling certain products is something that is experimented with by kids as young as 10 years old. The products used are cheap, easily accessible and on the shelves of our local stores. And the kicker - it’s not illegal. It has left many with irreversible brain damage, and for some truly unlucky ones it has resulted in death from their first inhale.What drives young people to inhale potentially lethal substances? What are law enforcement and governments doing to combat the issue? And what is the most effective way to educate parents, teachers,and young people? Throughout this series, we examine inhalants and how the misuse of them has led to severe consequences by talking to the people dealing with the repercussions of it. We also ask questions about the manufacture and distribution of the products used in these cases, and the role of those making - and profiting - from them. Coming soon from Swivol Media. Hosted by Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace

On a June evening in 2021, Sara Nevins is awoken by a knock at the door. It’s the police. They’ve come to tell her that her 16 year old daughter, Chloe, is in the intensive care unit.Chloe was found in bushland in the Logan area of Queensland, Australia, unresponsive after directly inhaling toxic chemicals from several deodorant cans. She was engaging in a cyclic trend known as “chroming”, one of many names for volatile substance misuse, a surprisingly common form of drug use that flies under the radar for most parents. Chloe now suffers a permanent brain injury and is in need of 24 hour care.With the help of Sara and experts in the field, we start to unpack how an everyday product like deodorant caused such catastrophic injuries, and discover a range of products that are being misused to achieve momentary “highs” - and a creeping social issue linked to retail theft, injury - and even death. Fumes is an original investigative series from Swivol Media exploring the issue of volatile substance misuse. Hosted Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace. Produced by Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace and Lauren Fitzgerald, Sound Design and Mix by Rob Clarke, additional production and design from Amanda Reedy, Kendra Christiansz, and Allison Craighead. Executive Producer Scotty Allen. Please visit www.swivolmedia.com for more information. You can also join the “Fumes - The Truth About Inhalants” Group on Facebook (coming soon)If you’re concerned that someone you know may be misusing inhalants, you can call the National and Other Drugs Hotline in Australia on 1800 250 015 for free and confidential advice. 

Nicholas Douglas died in Mackay, Queensland at age 17 from "chroming" deodorant. His mother Dianne had no idea of his chronic inhalant misuse until after his funeral, when she found multiple empty aerosol cans - including deodorant, fly spray, and insect bombs, in his room while cleaning up after his passing. How does a parent deal with the sudden loss of a child in circumstances like these? For Dianne, it’s about finding answers - and making sure other parents know what she didn’t.But what answers are there to be found? Why inhalants kill some and not others when deliberately inhaled via “chroming” is still not well understood by professionals in the field. We speak to an addiction physician to learn what we can about the impact of inhalant misuse on the body and the signs of inhalant misuse to look out for.Fumes is an original investigative series from Swivol Media exploring the issue of volatile substance misuse. Hosted Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace. Produced by Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace and Lauren Fitzgerald, Sound Design and Mix by Rob Clarke, additional production and design from Amanda Reedy, Kendra Christiansz, and Allison Craighead. Executive Producer Scotty Allen. Please visit www.swivolmedia.com for more information. You can also join the “Fumes - The Truth About Inhalants” Group on Facebook (coming soon)If you’re concerned that someone you know may be misusing inhalants, you can call the National and Other Drugs Hotline in Australia on 1800 250 015 for free and confidential advice.

What can be done to mitigate the issue of chroming? Why do kids do it in the first place?In the Logan area of Brisbane, Queensland, one cross-sector project sought to find those answers, bringing together police, university researchers, drug and alcohol support agencies, retailers, and the children and parents of impacted families. The findings were equal parts alarming and unexpected. While there were useful findings from Project CASM, our discussions lead us to an ongoing tension amongst the professionals involved when it comes to educating children on the dangers of inhalant misuse. Does it help in keeping kids away, or is it only exposing them to the idea?-------Fumes is an original investigative series from Swivol Media exploring the issue of volatile substance misuse. Hosted Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace. Produced by Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace and Lauren Fitzgerald, Sound Design and Mix by Rob Clarke, additional production and design from Amanda Reedy, Kendra Christiansz, and Allison Craighead. Executive Producer Scotty Allen. Please visit www.swivolmedia.com for more information. You can also join the “Fumes - The Truth About Inhalants” Group on Facebook (coming soon)If you’re concerned that someone you know may be misusing inhalants, you can call the National and Other Drugs Hotline in Australia on 1800 250 015 for free and confidential advice.

After Chloe Rowe's injury from inhaling aerosol deodorant in 2021, a representative for the family reached out to the manufacturer of the product she used, and received a statement, later also issued to media who covered the story, that seemed to acknowledge the issue and promise some action. As it turns out, it was a version of a statement that's been doing the rounds for quite some time.What is the responsibility of manufacturers of aerosol products when it comes to volatile substance misuse? Is it an equal burden to be carried by all players in the industry, or should the maker of the perceived product of choice, and the product liked to the most reported deaths from volatile substance misuse in Australia, be expected to lead the way?We speak to a chemical engineer from the University of Sydney to understand the science behind aerosols and any potential for making a change to make them harder or impossible to use. Then, we attempt to reach out to the manufacturer and Australia's leading professional body of aerosol manufacturers, and the final response we receive sends our investigation in an unexpected direction.-------Fumes is an original investigative series from Swivol Media exploring the issue of volatile substance misuse. Hosted Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace. Produced by Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace and Lauren Fitzgerald, Sound Design and Mix by Rob Clarke, additional production and design from Amanda Reedy, Kendra Christiansz, and Allison Craighead. Executive Producer Scotty Allen. Please visit www.swivolmedia.com for more information. You can also join the “Fumes - The Truth About Inhalants” Group on Facebook (coming soon)If you’re concerned that someone you know may be misusing inhalants, you can call the National and Other Drugs Hotline in Australia on 1800 250 015 for free and confidential advice.

Host Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace and Producer Scotty Allen discuss the recent inquest into the death of Bradley Hope, a 16 year old who died after chroming aerosol deodorant.The inquest held in the NSW Coroners Court is the first inquest held into a chroming-related death, and sought to understand not just the manner of Bradley's death but the wider issues surrounding volatile substance misuse in Australia.Phoebe and Scotty talk through the elements of the inquest which are allowed to be reported on, the links to some of the findings of the research undertaken to produce this podcast, and most importantly, what impact the possible findings to be delivered by the Coroner might have on the issue of VSM, aerosol manufacturers, and more. -------Fumes is an original investigative series from Swivol Media exploring the issue of volatile substance misuse. Hosted Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace. Produced by Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace and Lauren Fitzgerald, Sound Design and Mix by Rob Clarke, additional production and design from Amanda Reedy, Kendra Christiansz, Will Alexander, and Allison Craighead. Executive Producer Scotty Allen. Please visit www.swivolmedia.com for more information. You can also join the “Fumes - The Truth About Inhalants” Group on Facebook (coming soon)If you’re concerned that someone you know may be misusing inhalants, you can call the National and Other Drugs Hotline in Australia on 1800 250 015 for free and confidential advice.

In 1995, 15-year old Anna Wood died after taking ecstasy at a "Rave" party in Sydney. Her story remains well-known, and is credited with changing the discussion about drugs and young people.In our mid-series finale, we wrap up our look at aerosols and sniffing by considering what, if anything, we've actually learned from Anna's death by looking at the community response to recent deaths and injuries from chroming and consider the part that bias plays in how the media covers - or doesn't cover - inhalant related deaths.Finally, we check in with Sara Nevins, mother of Chloe Rowe, as they close in on a year since Chloe's injury from chroming which has left her permanently disable. We hear about some early wins after her release from an almost six month hospital stay, and the growing challenges of daily life as Chloe comes to terms with the lifelong effects she now suffers.Fumes will be back in 2023 with new episodes covering other types of inhalants and their impacts.-------Fumes is an original investigative series from Swivol Media exploring the issue of volatile substance misuse. Hosted Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace. Produced by Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace and Lauren Fitzgerald, Sound Design and Mix by Rob Clarke, additional production and design from Amanda Reedy, Kendra Christiansz, Will Alexander, Stuart Buckland, and Allison Craighead. Executive Producer Scotty Allen. 

In this bonus episode, host Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace speaks with Paul Dillon from the Drug and Alcohol Research Training Australia (DARTA). Paul was a member of the panel that formed part of the NSW Coroners Court inquest into the death of Bradley Hope, which we covered in our earlier episodes. In this discussion, Phoebe and Paul talk about his extensive experience as an educator working with schools and young people on issues related to drugs and alcohol, and specifically discuss the issues surrounding the debate about the best ways to educate about inhalant misuse. They also discuss the Bradley Hope inquest and possible findings that the Coroner may hand down as a result.We're working hard on the second half of our series and are aiming to have it to you in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this episode, and we'd love it if you took a moment to share, rate, and review our series. -------Fumes is an original investigative series from Swivol Media exploring the issue of volatile substance misuse. Hosted Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace. Produced by Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace and Lauren Fitzgerald, Sound Design and Mix by Rob Clarke, additional production and design from Justin McArthur, Kendra Christiansz, and Will Alexander Executive Producer Scotty Allen.