|
Raw Bytes Computer News KPBX FM 91.1 Radio National Public Radio Network Frank Delaney Producer Broadcast on Thursday Morning 7:35 AM During Morning Edition Support Public Radio ! The Theater Of the Mind |
In computer news this week 05/02/2007 This is a rebroadcast of a
previous Raw Bytes dealing with a very serious problem that all parents
should be aware of. |
|
|
“Dusting” - a growing problem with teenagers and
their computers today – Computers
are always dusty and dirty. They’re designed with fans inside them to
circulate air to cool them down, and those fans tend to suck in dust and dirt
into and on your computer. If your new computer is shiny black, in several
months it will start turning gray due to dust accumulation. Particularly if you put it on the
floor, which is the worst place to put your computer, right down there in the
dirt and grime; right where you can kick it over, and right where cleaning
people swing their wet mops and brooms. So dust
is a natural accumulation on computers, and in lieu of a dust rag, the high
tech solution to cleaning computers has been cans of compressed air which you
can buy at any computer store or department store which sells computer
supplies,. I’ve used the stuff for years; generally every few months,
and it really works well to blow dust off your computer keyboard, the
monitor, and around your work space. But just
like cold medicines you can buy over-the-counter have become dangerous and
controlled, because of their ingredients which are used to create
methamphetamines, now the innocent can of compressed air is having warning
labels placed on it and being sold with new caution. Just last
week a 14 year old Salem Oregon boy inhaled spray from a can of cleaner used
on computer keyboards and died, police said. The cleaner used to blow
dust out of keyboards and electronics contains difluoroethane,
which is similar to freon, said Sgt. Tim Plummer of
the Oregon State Police's drug recognition program. "The high from the
gas can paralyze the user for several seconds or minutes, giving them a
feeling of euphoria," Plummer said. Using it has gained a nickname,
"dusting," he said. Nickolas Brown was found
by his older brother in bed shortly after 2 a.m. Monday, and a can of the
cleaner was near the boy, Lt. Bill Kohlmeyer said. Plummer said hydrocarbons
in the product can create a heart arrythmia that
leads to cardiac arrest, or they can displace oxygen in the user's lungs,
causing asphyxiation. "One time you can get high off of it, and the next
time the same user with the same substance can be dead," he said. Inhalants, often
household products, are the fourth-most commonly used substance abused by
high school students in Oregon, said Claudia Wilcox, a state drug and alcohol
counselor. Students as young as
fourth-graders have reported using inhalants, she said. CNN
recently did a story on Dusting and said that as many as one out of 5
teenagers have tried it. To combat
the problem, retailers have made it more difficult for teens to get their
hands on compressed air products. At Staples, customers must be at least 18
to purchase Dust Off or similar products. Falcon,
the maker of Dust Off, is also taking action by placing warning labels on the
top if its cans. But after
hearing about the death of the Oregon boy, I went to several stores that sell
Dust Off type products, and none of them seemed to have any restrictions on
buying them. It is estimated
that as many as 150 American teens and young adults die each use from abusing
aerosol inhalants. So if you
use Dust Off or similar products, be aware of the potential dangers. And please
make your children aware of them too. For Raw Bytes This is Frank Delaney (C) 2007 MTA Micro
Technology Associates http://www.mtamicro.com/kpbx.html (509)624-7230 |
|