Teens abusing ethyl chloride spray, warns ministry

Teenagers in the UAE are buying pain relief spray - easily obtained from pharmacies in many emirates – for a cheap, low-cost high, federal health authorities warned on Saturday.

Young people are using ethyl chloride spray, which is commonly applied on the skin for pain relief from sore skin, as a “laughter gas,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Saturday.

Spraying the topical anaesthetic on a piece of cloth and inhaling the fumes, results in bursts of laughter or tears, followed by hallucinations. 

As use of the spray is not illegal, low in cost, and easily available, there have been “many cases of addiction among school and university students.”

The spray “has recently gained interest among adolescent students who have been purchasing it from various social networking sites, e-commerce websites, private pharmacies and specialty stores,” the ministry said

But using the spray as a happy high carries dangerous side effects, and its abuse is “causing devastation to health and social life,” the ministry warned. 

Quoting the US Environmental Protection Agency, the ministry warned that  long-term exposure to high amounts of the chemical can lead to multiple harmful side effects.

These include damage to the nervous system, leading slow reactions, reeling, speechlessness, tremors, involuntary eye movement and ongoing hallucinations. 

Inhaling the spray may drain oxygen out of the body, leading to death, while long-time can damage the liver and kidneys. 

California has listed the product as containing a cancer-causing chemical.

In response, the health ministry has issued a circular to warn of ethyl chloride’s easy availability and harmful effects, according to  Amin Al Amiri, an assistant undersecretary at the ministry.

The health ministry has also sent a written communication to UAE education bodies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to raise the awareness among students and parents about the dangers of ethyl chloride.

Education bodies have been requested to monitor the behaviour of students in educational institutions and inform the ministry in case of any “widespread practice.”

Although all pharmacies are advised to not sell these products to anyone under 18 years, the ministry did not appear to lay out any new regulations or rules for sales of the spray.

The health has raised awareness about the substance and mobilized its team to take “procedural and precautionary” measures in coordination with the concerned authorities to contain its use.

Availabilty

How easy is it to get ethyl chloride spray without a doctor’s prescription?

Gulf News called seven pharmacies in Dubai to ask if they stocked ethyl chloride spray. None did, except one large chain which said it required a doctor’s prescription. 

But just a few calls to pharmacies in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Ajman showed that the spray was apparently available over-the-counter for around Dh60.

Legal, yet dangerous

This latest warning on a legal, yet dangerous, high is not the first from authorities. In 2010, police in Dubai announced that they would arrest minors found to be inhaling lethal gas such as butane - commonly used as lighter fluid - to get high. 

In late March, two teens in Ajman were hospitalised after the butane gas they had been sniff-ing inside a car with the windows closed caused an explosion.

A month earlier, the Dubai Health Authority cautioned all members of the community against purchasing drugs or prescription medication from social media sites for safety reasons.

Brigadier Eid Mohammad Thani Hareb, Director of Anti-Narcotic Department in Dubai Police  told Gulf News that they hadn't reported any case of ethyl chloride addiction in Dubai. 

"We didn't register any incident of using the drug on Dubai. No addiction of this drug in the city," he said.
 

Hareb added that the department received no reports of anyone using such spray.