by Nick Delgado

Guam - Huffing or inhaling butane or other chemicals has quickly grown to be one of the top most abused substances by teens across the nation. What most teens forget is just how deadly a single huff can be. A 12-year-old boy died from asphyxiation due to butane inhalation earlier this week.

Juvenile Investigation Section Officer Dennis Santos encourages more community outreach to educate the youth about the harmful effects of inhaling toxic chemicals, telling KUAM News, "With inhalants, kind of harder to detect and it's not something that we are exposed to on a daily basis. And at this point I think that would be the best think to do to strengthen and let the public know that it starts from the homefront."

Harmful effects of inhalants include death, cardiac failure, pneumonia, vomiting, headaches and wheezing.

The Guam Police Department is hoping to conduct more outreaches at the island's schools to deter use by teens.