Parents Warn of Deadly “Chroming” After Daughter’s Tragic Death

Australian parents Andrea and Paul Haynes are sharing their heartbreak after losing their 13-year-old daughter, Esra, to a dangerous viral trend known as chroming. The tragedy was discussed in an emotional interview on A Current Affair, leaving host Ally Langdon visibly moved.

Esra, described as “fun, cheeky, and talented,” was a young athlete who co-captained her netball club and competed in BMX racing. On March 31, what began as a normal sleepover with friends turned fatal when she inhaled aerosol deodorant. Within moments, her body went into cardiac arrest, causing irreversible brain damage.

After eight days on life support, her devastated parents made the unimaginable decision to say goodbye. “We laid her on a bed so we could hold her and cuddled her until the very end,” Paul shared.

Chroming—sniffing toxic fumes from common products like deodorant, paint, or hairspray—has been linked to multiple teen deaths worldwide. The Haynes family, who had never heard of the trend before, now want to raise awareness. “Parents need to sit down and talk with their children,” Paul urged. “If we’d known earlier, we could have warned Esra.”