Family of Kent teen who died after inhaling aerosol call for age restrictions on sales
ITV News Meridian's Tony Green has been speaking to the aunt of a boy who died after inhaling deodorant.
The family of a teenager who died after inhaling a toxic substance have launched a petition to restrict aerosol sales to young people.
Nicky Lowther, 13, was discovered by his mother at their home in Canterbury.
Despite her attempts to revive him, and the efforts of medics at the QEQM in Margate, he didn't recover.
His aunt, Toni Lowther says it's left his family in shock.
"He was just a cheeky chappy, amazing sense of humour, always giggling and playing jokes with his siblings and stuff."
On 27 June, Toni had a phone call from her mother telling her that Nicky had been taken to hospital.
"By the time I got there, he'd already gone. His mum had actually found him in her house and that was as a result of inhaling aerosols," Toni said.
"I needed to do something knowing that there was nothing I could do to change this situation.
"From speaking to our own family, knowing that we didn't have a clue what any of this was, I knew that if I could do something to raise awareness, even for parents, not just the children being stopped from buying them but parents to understand how dangerous it is."
She has now launched an online petition to stop the sale of aerosols to young people to prevent future deaths.
Raising awareness is one of the things the charity Re-solv is committed to.
Spokesperson Daniel Gibbons said: "Ultimately it's an absolute tragedy for anybody to lose their life from the misuse of solvents, but they are as safe as they can be in terms of products.
"It's just sharing the awareness and highlighting the risks and concerns around solvent use.
"They are accessible, they are widely available, quite naturally, but we're making sure that people are understanding that although you can access these products they have risks and harms associated with them if they are used inappropriately."
But Toni Lowther believes an age restriction could save more lives.
She added: "With an age limit in place, would they be more inclined to steer away? They can't buy a lottery ticket, that's not going to do anything bad to them, but they can buy deodorant."
More than 3000 people have already signed the petition. The government has been approached for comment on the call for a change in the law.
A government spokesperson said: “We sympathise with the family after their tragic loss.
“It is unlawful to supply aerosols for their psychoactive effects, with offenders potentially facing a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.”
For more links to help and support for anyone struggling with substance abuse.
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