12-year-old boy suffers life-threatening cardiac arrest after following TikTok ‘chroming’ trend to get ‘high’ on deodorant

A 12-year-old boy was left fighting for his life after a dangerous deodorant trend on TikTok spiraled out of control and caused a cardiac arrest.

Cesar Watson-King, from Doncaster, is alleged to have inhaled a can of antiperspirant last month after an older boy took to social media to demonstrate the ‘chroming’ craze.

This trend involves people inhaling toxic fumes from deodorant, hairspray and nail polish remover to get “high.”

But moments after the inhalation, Cesar’s mother, Nichola King, discovered him on the kitchen floor having a seizure. The 36-year-old performed CPR to restore his breathing while his brother called an ambulance.

Cesar was rushed to the hospital, where he suffered further seizures and cardiac arrest, and was subsequently placed in an induced coma.

The mother of four has now shared horrific footage of paramedics performing chest compressions in an attempt to save him, in a bid to raise awareness of the dangers of the trend.

Chroming was colloquially used to describe the trend of inhaling toxic fumes before the launch of TikTok in the UK in 2018.

However, videos about chromium formation appeared to have been posted to the platform as early as February, with at least one of them receiving more than 700,000 views.

TikTok says it has blocked search results for the “chroming challenge” from appearing.

Mrs. King recalled Cesar’s ordeal, saying, “I had just finished breastfeeding my baby and was falling asleep when I heard a really loud bang. I thought one of the kids had done something.

‘I heard Cesar sneaking down the stairs and thought he was going down to get something to eat. The bang sounded like someone had fallen.

‘I heard a groaning noise downstairs and thought Cesar had broken a bone or something.

‘I walked downstairs and saw Cesar lying on the ground. He was looking back with his eyes.

‘It was terrifying. He was having a seizure. I ran upstairs to get my phone. I couldn’t even unlock my phone to call an ambulance because my hands were shaking so much that my oldest called 999.

“I thought he had fallen and hit his head. I had no idea what had happened. He turned blue and stopped breathing. I thought he was dead.

“I was in complete shock. I had seen my son die and the light go out of his eyes.”

Paramedics quickly took him to Doncaster Royal Infirmary, where he suffered multiple seizures and cardiac arrest, she said.

She also claimed that police told her that officers had found a can of Aldi Lacura deodorant and other chrome paraphernalia on the kitchen floor, leading them to believe that Cesar had inhaled the antiperspirant before passing out.

The word ‘chrome’ is an informal word that originated in Australia.

When used incorrectly, inhalants affect the central nervous system and slow brain activity, resulting in a short-lived ‘high’.

This dangerous trend can lead to slurred speech, dizziness, hallucinations, nausea and disorientation, but can also cause choking.

Inhaling toxic fumes can also cause more serious symptoms, such as heart rhythm disturbances, which can lead to heart attack or cardiac arrest.

According to Talk to Frank, a UK charity that campaigns against drug and aerosol abuse, more than 50 people die each year in the country from glue, gases, solvents and aerosols.

The charity stresses that just a small overdose of an aerosol can lead to a coma or even death.

In March, 11-year-old Tommie-lee Gracie Billington from Lancaster died after trying out the trend at a friend’s sleepover.

Tommie-lee’s family is doing everything they can to prevent the tragedy from claiming more young lives.

Last September, 14-year-old Sarah Mescall from County Clare in Ireland also died after taking part in the online craze.

Sarah passed out after inhaling fumes and was put into an induced coma. Sadly, she died three days later.

Mrs. King recalled Cesar’s terrifying ordeal, saying, “I had never heard of (chroming) before. An older boy had shown him how to do it.

“When the police told me what he had inhaled, I thought he was going to die. I knew the back of the cans said ‘solvent abuse kills instantly.'”

After being transferred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Cesar was kept in an induced coma for 48 hours.

But after just eight days he was released from the hospital, able to breathe, walk and talk on his own again.

Mrs King added: ‘I was overjoyed. He was almost completely back to normal when he was discharged – eating, drinking, laughing. He just felt tired.

“We don’t know if there is any long-term damage, but his short-term memory is very poor. He couldn’t remember what happened.

‘If I hadn’t heard anything that night, I would have come down the next morning and found a body.

“I spoke to Cesar and asked him never to do anything like that again. I threw away everything in the house that sprayed.”

She also warned of the dangers of the ‘chroming’ challenge, warning children: ‘it’s not worth it’.

She added: “I would tell the kids, it’s not worth it. It may feel good, but it certainly isn’t when you’re in the hospital trying to breathe for yourself and the pain you’re causing your parents.

‘And I want to emphasize how important it is for parents to take first aid training.

“I think everyone with children should take a course because it can make the difference between life and death.”

Aldi declined to comment.