Teens are huffing Freon to get high; it’s a disturbing trend that’s on the rise.
Home owners, apartments and commercial air conditioning units are locking up their Freon valves. D&D Air Conditioning Repair in Fresno says its seen $1,000's of dollars worth of the chemical stolen from units. “We've found them completely empty with the valve lying on the ground,” says D&D owner Michael Davies.
“It destroys cells, lining in the nose and esophagus. It’s very toxic and not easy to control the dose,” says Lynn Pimentel a Director at West Care in Fresno. Her facility has treated teens who have abused the drug. She says they’re turning to Freon because it’s easy to access. “It’s free at times because it’s in the garage it’s at home and it’s under the sink. It’s abundant and it’s legal.”
In Fresno, most of the Freon abuse isn’t coming from cans bought or stolen from stores. Instead, kids are stealing it from Freon valves on residential and commercial air conditioning units.
D&D Air Conditioning is just one of many repair shops in Fresno that says it’s witnessing the trend. “We’ve found more this year than ever,” says Davies. The shops responded to nearly a dozen air conditioning repairs where the Freon was completely gone. He says thousands of dollars’ worth of Freon has been stolen from properties.
The missing chemical is running up a big bill for owners. One pound of Freon costs $30 and a big thirty pound tank costs nearly $200. “It’s either the kids taking it or they're stealing it because of the cost,” says Davies.
Some are taking the Freon home to get high; others are sniffing it at the site. It’s a free high that comes with a big price. “It’s incredibly damaging; it can burn and destroy,” says Pimentel. The chemical freezes the lungs causing a rapid high, but just one sniff could cost you, your life.
Repair shops say more customers are opting for lockboxes to secure their units. The lock-boxes or Freon caps cost $10 to $40.
The latest statistics from the poison control centers report Freon huffing killed at least two teens in 2009 and sent more than 2,000 to the hospital.
Christina Lusby reporting.
TXT 24
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