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July 2, 2002
Daily
Record
IT
KILLED MY SON AND YOUR KID MAY BE NEXT .. PLEASE HELP ME END THIS
BUTANE BUZZING RUSSIAN ROULETTE
by Janice Burns
Grieving dad John demands the Scottish Parliament take swift
action
THE father of a schoolboy who died after
sniffing lighter fuel is waging a star-studded war against shopkeepers
dealing in death.
Battling John O'Brien is calling on the
Scottish Parliament to bring in new laws to stop them selling the
poison to children.
The papermill worker launched a campaign
in memory of his son Lee, 16, who was found slumped on the floor by
his pregnant girlfriend.
John, 47, of Methil, Fife, already has the
backing of movie star Dougray Scott and plans to enlist the support of
Prince William and snooker champion Stephen Hendry.
Last night, he dubbed butane gas the
childhood drug of the 21st century and revealed that up to 20 per of
schoolkids have dabbled in the habit.
Around 80 British children die every year
of lighter fuel abuse, 10 per cent in Scotland.
John says that each time a child sniffs
the poisonous gas they are playing a game of Russian Roulette.
He said: "There are children dying at
the age of seven because shopkeepers are selling them cans of gas.
"My son died because shopkeepers are
being allowed to sell children deadly gas willy-nilly.
"You have got to be 18 to buy the
gas, but shops do not have to display any signs unlike alcohol or
cigarettes.
"I want the Government to change the
law to make shopkeepers record every sale, ask for identification and
get purchasers to sign for the gas."
John has set up a campaign called LOST -
the Lee O'Brien Solvent Trust.
The aim is to help parents who have lost
children to gas abuse and to raise awareness of the dangers in
schools.
John said: "People think that lighter
fuel abuse is a trend that has passed - but it has made a comeback and
it is the youth drug of 2002 because it is so cheap and easy to
obtain.
"Most parents won't believe this, but
many schoolkids are actually sniffing it in the playground between
classes or in their bedrooms at night.
"What these children do not know is
that sooner or later it will kill them.
"Just like my son, one day it will
catch the back of their throats, freezing the muscles and stopping
oxygen from getting to the lungs."
He added: "The heart beats much
faster. Within 20 seconds, their heart will explode and they will be
dead.
"If it doesn't kill them it will
almost certainly leave them with severe brain damage. The youngest
victim was a seven-year-old boy, which is almost beyond belief.
"Shopkeepers know there is a profit
to be made dealing in death.
"They stock up on these cans of fuel
because they know there will be a rush during school lunch hour."
Movie star Scott pledged his support and
signed a petition after being named honorary chieftain of the Highland
Games in Markinch, Glenrothes, earlier this month.
Now John plans to present at least 100,000
signatures to the Scottish Parliament and is confident Wills, who is
studying at St Andrews University, will get behind the life-saving
cause.
John is also hoping Scots snooker star
Hendry, who went to the same school as his son in Inverkeithing, will
pledge his support.
Fife MSP Marilyn Livingstone has put a
motion to the Parliament demanding action to cut the death rate among
youngsters.
She has the backing of 23 MSPs and plans
to meet Justice Minister Jim Wallace to hammer out details.
She said: "There is so much support
for a change in the law that I've no doubt we will be successful.
"What we need is more signatures for
the petition and for other parents who have lost children to get
behind the campaign so that we can save the lives of future
youngsters."
Ralph McGregor, of Re-Solv Scotland, the
Society for the Prevention of Solvent and Volatile Substance Abuse,
also wants action taken against shopkeepers.
He said: "The number of deaths and
users in Scotland is extremely alarming and lighter fuel abuse has
become more common.
"We are right behind John's campaign.
We have to make shopkeepers more accountable.
"If we make it difficult for children
to buy lighter fuel, it will save lives.
"We also want a test-purchasing
scheme being piloted in Scotland at the moment to be introduced as a
matter of course.
"It would mean under-18s being sent
into shops to see who will sell to them and prosecutions can
follow."
Earlier this year, the Record revealed
Paula Fyfe was under a death sentence at the age of just 18.
The once lively, happy teenager is
addicted to the butane gas she began sniffing five years ago.
There is no medical help to save her from
the deadly habit.
Paula is now in hospital after being
sectioned by her desperate family under the Mental Health Act.
But stepfather Matthew said: "She can
only be treated for depression, not her gas addiction.
"You have groups for gamblers,
alcoholics and drug abusers - but not for volatile solvent abuse.
"Heroin addicts get methadone,
smokers get patches, solvent abuse addicts get nothing. They have been
condemned to die."
THE DEADLY TRUTH ABOUT LIGHTER FUEL
CHILDREN inhale the poisonous lighter
fuel. In the lungs, it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream,
creating a euphoric feeling.
Users give the impression of being drunk,
staggering and slurring their words. They can suffer hallucinations
and their perceptions are distorted.
Side-effects are extremely unpleasant and
include vomiting, disorientation and dizziness.
The buzz only lasts for a few minutes, so
users feel the need to keep topping it up.
But the gas can freeze the back of the
throat, damaging the tissue and causing swelling and suffocation
within 20 seconds.
Victims who don't die are often left with
permanent brain damage.
It can also stop the heart, starving the
brain of oxygen and causing "sudden sniffing death".
Lighter fuel has become the children's
drug because it is so cheap and easy to hide from parents and
teachers.
At only 98p for a 250gram can and widely
available in corner shops and petrol stations, it's cheaper than a
bottle of booze.
"Hangovers" can arise after
intensive use and often consist of headaches, drowsiness and
confusion.
Children with asthma can make their
condition worse by inhaling butane gas. But many other users have
upper respiratory side-effects, similar to the common cold.
Persistent use can cause a rash around the
mouth and nose.
TOLL OF DESPAIR
Fallon Harrigan
The Paisley schoolgirl, 16, died after her
boyfriend bought a can of butane gas for them to buzz. But Gordon
Hampsay, 19, was shown mercy by a judge in April this year after he
admitted killing her by giving her the lighter fuel.
Rachel Denholm
Rachel, 15, died after her first hit of
lighter fuel caused severe brain damage. She was in a coma for 15
months. Her brain had swollen through lack of oxygen and she
eventually lost her fight for life at Dundee Royal Hospital in 1998.
Angela Stevenson
THE13-year-old suffered horrific burns
when she lit a cigarette after sniffing lighter fuel. Angela, of
Halbeath, near Dunfermline, Fife, had to have extensive plastic
surgery after spilling petrol on her clothes while inhaling fumes.
Ross McNally
The would-be fighter pilot was left brain
damaged and with the mind of a five-year-old after experimenting with
lighter fuel.
The teenager, once a bright schoolboy from
Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, now lives "in his own wee world".
Dawn Bell
Mum-of-two Dawn, from Inverness, was only
24 when she died after sniffing lighter fuel in her home. Her sons
were only five months and three years old when the solvent abuser lost
her fight for life in 1997.
Archie Craig
Teenager Archie died from inhaling fuel
bought for just £1 from a shop last summer.
The student collapsed in the street just
minutes from his home in Glasgow.His parents Archie and Jan called for
a campaign to warn youngsters.
Carrie McAloon
Carrie died when she sniffed fuel for the
first time just hours after celebrating her 15th birthday in 1995. The
teenager was found slumped next to her parents' bed, in Polbeth, West
Lothian.
IF YOU NEED HELP
John O'Brien is desperate for support for
LOST and can be contacted on 01592 714501. Anyone wishing to back the
campaign, or who wants more information on solvent abuse, can contact
ReSolv on 01506 881498. Or if your child has died or been injured by
lighter fuel abuse contact the Record on 0141 309 3251 |