What is Dusting?

Dusting Doesn't Always Mean Getting Out the Pledge

What is Dusting? When you hear the term Dusting you might think of a can of pledge and some old rags you use to clean your coffee table with, well to many teenagers Dusting has a whole new meaning. It means a cheap way to get a quick high. They do this with a can of air used to clean computers and electronic equipment. They came up with the name Dusting from the brand of canned air Dust Off. Inhalant abuse often referred to as “Huffing” has been around for many years. The difference with Dusting is anyone can buy the canned air they don’t have to be a certain age, and no one asks any questions as to why they are buying the canned air product. 

When someone inhales the compressed gas it paralyzes them for a few minutes and gives them the high feeling. Dusting can cause damage to many of the internal organs such as the kidneys, liver, heart, and the brain. In the worst cases it will cause death. One type of death from Dusting is referred to as Sudden Sniffing death. This occurs when the person inhales the canned air that contains gases and it makes the heart beat irregular and cause the person to have cardiac arrest. This can happen even if the person Dusting is perfectly healthy. The compressed air fills a persons lungs when they inhale and it keeps the oxygen from coming back in leading to their heart stopping. Dusting is very popular in the 12-13 year old age bracket. This is from the easy access to the canned air.