Man dies at Harrison after huffing in store’s restroom

Published 9:05 pm Monday, October 12, 2015

POULSBO — A 29-year-old man died at Harrison Medical Center on Oct. 10 almost six hours after he was reported inhaling fumes from a can of Dust Off in a restroom stall at the Poulsbo Walmart.

Police are withholding the man’s identity until next of kin can be notified. An autopsy is scheduled for Oct. 13, Deputy Police Chief John Halsted reported.

At 5:43 p.m. Oct. 10, Poulsbo police officers were called to Walmart after store personnel reported a person in the men’s restroom inhaling fumes from a can of compressed air used to clean electronic equipment.

Officers encountered the man in one of the stalls inhaling the contents of a can of Dust Off, Halsted reported. “The male was ordered out of the stall and detained. The subject had cuts and scratches on his body from sometime prior to the incident,” Halsted reported.

Officers called for Poulsbo Fire medics to evaluate the man; he was talking, breathing and conscious, Halsted reported. Medics transported the man to Harrison, arriving at 7:44 p.m. “The subject was talking with doctors and took a shower,” Halsted said. “At 2229 hours (10:29 p.m.), the subject went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at 2323 hours (11:23 p.m.).”

An investigation revealed the man had sought treatment for chest pain in August and admitted to inhaling eight to 10 cans of compressed air each day, Halsted reported.

“Parents are encouraged to talk with their children about the dangers of inhalants,” Halsted reported. For more information, he recommended the site www.inhalant.org.