Teen dies after inhaling freon

Published 9:45 am Thursday, July 17, 2008

SARALAND, Ala. (AP) — A south Alabama teenager has died after police said he deliberately inhaled a refrigerant used in air conditioning.

Saraland Police said 19-year-old Andrew Todd Harris of Mount Vernon died Tuesday around 5 p.m. Lt. Danny Walker said Harris apparently filled a plastic bag with freon he took from a pickup truck’s air conditioning unit.

Police said Harris inhaled the substance and suffered a fatal heart attack.

The Environmental Protection Agency describes freon as a toxic chemical that can affect the nervous system and cause dizziness and irregular heart beat.



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Information from: Press-Register, http://www.al.com/mobileregister