RHINELANDER, WI (WXPR) - Rhinelander school district officials hope they've taken quick action to stem another round of "huffing" by students.
School Nurse Kerri Schmidt says there were reports that some students were using inhalants. “They were using body spray. As we know, inhalants come in all different forms and anything that’s aerosol can be inhaled. Different terminology is used, such as hugging, sniffing, bagging, and spraying, but these students were calling it huffing.”
Schmidt says while people use intoxicants in different ways, this particular buzz could be your last. “The biggest danger is it might be the last breath that they take. It’s like Russian roulette. You never know what is going to stop your heart or what casualty is going to happen. Some people will die the first time they huff. Others may die the 50th time they huff. It’s very high risk and it’s very addicting.”
Young people are led into this risky activity by a pack mentality, but Schmidt says the effort now is awareness. “I guess education is paramount, and what we really wanted to do was to educate the parents. Let them know that, hey, this is happening again.”
Schmidt says the parents were contacted and were encouraged to have the students seek further medical examinations.