Grieving father’s warning after teenage daughter dies from inhaling deodorant

Family fundraising to raise awareness of risks after at least 11 deaths in 20 years

A 14-year-old girl died after accidentally inhaling too much aerosol deodorant in her bedroom.

Giorgia Green was found by her family at their Derbyshire home after she sprayed her blanket and wrapped herself in it. She had suffered a cardiac arrest.

Her heartbroken parents want clearer product labelling to warn people of the potential dangers – but manufacturers say warnings are already “very clear”.

Giorgia, who died in May last year, was described by her family as “a perfectly healthy fit child who has never been seriously ill”.

Her father, Paul, told the BBC she was “in essence, a bundle of joy” who lived to laugh and tell jokes and was “a very talented, creative young lady”.

She had autism and sprayed the deodorant on a comfort blanket.

Recalling how emergency services tried to save her, he said: “It’s a terrible, horrible feeling to be so helpless,” he said. “My baby’s there and there’s nothing I can do for her.”

He said he had no idea a deodorant could stop the heart, but they had found out that other young people who accidentally died after inhaling deodorant.

“If our efforts can stop one more person dying, I can’t say we’d be happy but we feel Giorgia’s death won’t be in vain.”

In response, the British Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association said deodorants had “very clear warnings”.

By law, aerosol deodorants must be printed with the warning “keep out of reach of children” but Giorgia’s parents said the writing was small.

Her family are fundraising to raise awareness of the dangers. According to the Office for National Statistics, “deodorant” was mentioned on 11 death certificates between 2001 and 2020, it said.

Ashley Martin, public health adviser at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "It’s easy to assume they are completely safe and totally free from risk. The truth is they’re not.

"Inhaling large quantities of aerosols, not just deodorants, can lead to a whole host of life-endangering scenarios - from blackouts and breathing difficulties, to heart rhythm changes and sadly, death.

"We have seen a number of fatalities over recent years where children and young adults have over-sprayed aerosols."

After Jack Waple, 13, died in 2019, his inquest heard he sprayed deodorant if he felt anxious when his mother left the house.