Posted March 21, 2018

A new toxic concoction, known as KD, is alarming first responders and emergency crews.  This newest trend involves spraying bug spray products on other drugs like marijuana, spice, and tobacco before smoking them.

The Alliance for Consumer Education (ACE), is extremely concerned with this dangerous new trend and the abuse of household products like bug sprays. 

“The use of household products, like bug sprays, improves our lives by keeping ourselves and our children from being bit by disease-causing pests like mosquitos, and keeps our homes pest free,” states ACE’s Executive Director, Sara Stickler. “These products are not intended to be consumed or inhaled and they can become a safety hazard when not used according to label instructions.”

Bug sprays and insect repellents are designed to protect consumers from an array of insects in and around the home including mosquitos, ticks, biting flies, gnats, ants and roaches.  These products repel and kill disease-causing pests and protect consumers from diseases like West Nile and Zika. However, these products are not intended to be ingested.  There are clear directions for use on each of these products, and each product comes with strong precautionary statements against the misuse and abuse of the products right on the label.  

“Safety is our first priority,” states Stickler, “and there are serious safety concerns when a product is misused or abused.  ACE educates consumers on the dangers of inhalant abuse, also known as huffing, and works to prevent both intentional and accidental misuse of household products.  We encourage consumers to understand the products they are using by reading the label and directions for use. We are concerned that drugs and other substances are being laced with household products, and are concerned that users of KD may not be aware of what is inside the substance they are using.”

ACE is working to get product safety information and education out to adults.  ACE is also encouraging conversations with teenagers about the dangers of this new trend and the importance of using products correctly to prevent this trend from spreading.