Teen died surrounded by 12 aerosol cans as family warn over deadly 'chroming' trend

The family of a teenager who died surrounded by a dozen aerosol cans have warned others about the social media trend of 'chroming'.

13-year-old Nicky Lowther was found unconscious by his mum at home in Canterbury on 27 June last year. He was rushed to hospital but later pronounced dead, and his family learned that before his death, he had been inhaling aerosols.

It's become part of a dangerous trend called 'chroming' where people inhale aerosols and often film themselves doing so.

Nicky's aunt, Toni Lowther, said that the trend was 'shocking' and 'dangerous', and wants parents to talk to their children about the dangers of it.

She said: "By the time we got to the hospital, Nicky had already passed away. We found out he'd been inhaling aerosols but I didn't know the severity of it.

13-year-old Nicky Lowther died surrounded by a dozen aerosol cans (Kennedy News and Media)

"We don't know how many he inhaled that day, but I think 12 cans were found in his bedroom. No one knows if he'd used them that day.

"There's no safe way of inhaling aerosols. It's dangerous. My daughter is only four months younger than Nicky and they went to the same playschool. I used to have him for sleepovers as a little child.

"To us, he was just a cheeky chappy. He had a dark sense of humour, he was really funny."

Toni said she'd 'never heard' of chroming before Nicky's death but afterwards was told about people dying from doing the trend.

The 13-year-old's aunt, herself a mother-of-two, said she'd also been told there were videos online about 'how to do it'.

His family said he was a 'cheeky chappy' (Kennedy News and Media)

She's decided to try and help spread the message about how dangerous it is and has launched an online petition, which you can see here, trying to stop the sale of aerosols to those under a certain age.

Toni described her nephew's death as 'so preventable, which is the hardest part', as she said that there was so much he would miss out on in life.

"It just still doesn't seem like reality. It still feels so raw," she said of Nicky's death.

"Anyone can buy aerosols currently, which is insane. It's happening all the time. I felt like I needed to do something. Nicky couldn't be saved but hopefully his story can save other children from doing it."

Doctors have warned against the chroming trend, explaining that even if inhaling aerosols doesn't kill you it can seriously damage your brain, organs and cause you respiratory issues.