Home / Disasters and Accidents / Schoolboy, 11, Dies After Inhaling Deodorant in 'Chroming' Craze
Schoolboy, 11, Dies After Inhaling Deodorant in 'Chroming' Craze
28 Feb
Summary
- An 11-year-old boy died after inhaling deodorant during a sleepover.
- The tragedy was linked to a social media craze known as 'chroming'.
- An inquest concluded his death was misadventure due to his young age.
An 11-year-old schoolboy, Tommie-lee Gracie Billington, tragically passed away on March 2, 2024, following a sleepover in Lancaster. The cause of death was attributed to inhaling a can of deodorant, a dangerous practice known as 'chroming,' which has gained notoriety through social media. Police confirmed at an inquest that Tommie-lee learned about the craze from an older boy, rather than directly from online videos as his mother initially suspected.
The coroner ruled his death as misadventure, emphasizing that Tommie-lee was too young to comprehend the risks associated with inhaling toxic aerosol fumes. The inquest heard that Tommie-lee and a friend had been caught engaging in similar behavior six months prior. Despite the mother's concerns about harmful social media content, the investigation did not find evidence that Tommie-lee had watched 'chroming' videos himself.
