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Why we do
what we do
Lethal chemicals,
such as refrigerant are readily
available and easily
accessible. As a result,
"huffing", which refers to the
inhalation of refrigerant and other dangerous
chemicals to achieve feelings of
euphoria has been on the rise,
predominantly among pre-teens
and teenagers. Refrigerant and
other inhalants are highly addictive and
are
considered a gateway drug because users
often progress from inhalants to illegal
drug and alcohol abuse.
We
strongly support educating the public
about the dangers posed by certain chemicals,
such as
refrigerant. However, because children are
exposed to refrigerant just about
everywhere, everyday, we feel that a more effective
and permanent solution to keep this poison out of reach
of children is in order.
Huffing chemicals such as refrigerant
can result in death on the first use.
This is a risk we cannot afford to take
with our youth.
One of the goals of UPROAR is to propose
solutions to lawmakers and governing
bodies to address this problem.
Proposals
M91-07/08, Parts I and II were
approved as submitted!!!
With
overwhelming support, our proposals to the International Code Council were
approved as submitted at the Final Action Hearing in Minneapolis. We are
extremely appreciative of the ICC members and chapters who recognize the risks
and dangers associated with open access to refrigerant and made the commitment
to support and vote for these proposals. Thank you all once again.
We are also grateful to the
International Code Council for their open and
unbiased process.
Finally, we would like to extend a special thanks to the following for their
contribution to the success of these proposals.
-
Guy Tomberlin, C.B.O.,
County of Fairfax, Va.
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Julius Ballance, P.E.,
President of JB Engineering and Code Consulting
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Harvey Weiss, Executive Director,
National Inhalant
Prevention Coalition
-
Dana Lynne Prothro, Mother of Erica Rain Prothro
-
Gerry Spanger, President, SlimDuct, Inc.
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Sharyl Adams, Chesterfield County Youth Planning and Development
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Terri Brown, Camden Children’s Alliance & Resources, Inc.
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G. Wayne Frith, Substance Abuse Free Environment, Inc.
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John Gladness, City of Sylacauga, AL
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Gregorio Deleon Guerrero, Mobile, AL
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Jessica Landreth, Camden Children’s Alliance & Resources, Inc.
-
Paola Merkins, West Vancouver, BC
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Celenda Perry, Camden Children’s Alliance & Resources, Inc.
AC Manufacturers
One of the
most effective ways to make refrigerant
inaccessible to unlicensed individuals
is to have AC manufacturers redesign
their units in such a manner that the
refrigerant is secured.
We strongly encourage you to pursuade
your AC manufacturer or as many
AC manufacturers as you can to put tamper resistant locking
caps on their units.
A list of AC manufacturers is available
here.
Consumer Product Safety Commission
The
existing design of most AC units is obviously
flawed in that it allows easy venting of
refrigerant through
external filling valves. This is
extremely hazardous and must be
immediately corrected. As consumers of these
products, you have the right to report
such hazards to the Consumer Product
Safety Commission. We urge you to report
this hazard to the CPSC by filling out
their online form at
https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx.
Internet Scrubbing
Children
learn a lot of bad habits from the
internet, including how to huff
refrigerant. Please join us in our
efforts to rid the internet of media
which glorifies huffing and/or provides
instructions on how to huff refrigerant.
Many videos have already been removed
from file sharing websites, but new ones
pop up almost as quickly as we get them
removed. Please help us scour
these file sharing sites and report any
inappropriate materials to the provider.
A list of user
generated file sharing websites are
listed here.
Petition
We are
currently collecting signatures in
support of our cause. This will be
presented to organizations requiring so
much support for our cause. Please
sign our
petition at
Care2 Petitionsite.
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Again?
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When Air Conditioners Go Bad
Cautionary
Tale: First Breath, Last Breath |
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