I ran across a sad and disturbing case a few days ago about a 12-year-old boy in Britain who died from using too much deodorant.
The story, in the Daily Mail, details the case, in which the 12-year-old sprayed copious amounts of Lynx brand deodorant on himself while in a cramped bathroom, and inhaled the fumes, which triggered an irregular heartbeat that led to his untimely death. The coroner in the case noted that the dangers of inhaling excessive amounts of the product in closed spaces were marked clearly on the packaging.
I gather, from the report's details, that Lynx is very similar to Axe Body Spray, a highly-fragranced brand of cologne containing butane that is popular in the U.S. The very fact that this product needs warnings about its use is a good indicator that people -- especially children -- should steer clear of using this product. While the Daily Mail story is obviously an extreme case illustrating the dangers of such products, it concerns me that people are using these chemicals as part of their daily routine, sometimes without even reading the warnings or ingredient lists on the labels.