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Thursday, November 20, 2008, 07:30
Daniel Hurley was proud of his appearance and was lavish with his use of deodorants and gels, said his father, who had desperately tried to revive him.
Derby Coroner's Court heard that Daniel's overuse of Lynx Vice in the confined space of the bathroom of his family's home caused his heart to fail.
The inquest heard his exposure to solvents in the deodorant had led to his cardiac arrhythmia. He died in hospital five days later.
His father, Robert, told the inquest: "He was always putting gel on his hair and spraying deodorant and it was quite common for him to spray his clothing as well."
He said: "The bathroom is adjacent to the kitchen and I made some tea and shouted into the bathroom to see if he was OK.
"I heard nothing so I shouted again but did not get a reply. I forced the door open and found Daniel in the bath.
"I pulled him out on to the floor and started cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.
"I checked for his heart rate and his breath but he was not breathing."
An ambulance took Daniel from the family home, in Butt Street, to the Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, where he remained in intensive care but died five days later, on January 12 this year.
Consultant pathologist Dr Andrew Hitchcock, who carried out the postmortem examination, said that he found no evidence of substance abuse.
He also found no evidence of any life-threatening diseases, alcohol or drugs in Daniel's body.
He said: "What we have in this case is someone who may well have had a cardiac abnormality in the presence of the solvent.
"There is a very reasonable assumption that the passive inhalation (of the solvent in the deodorant) almost certainly led to his death."
Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner Dr Robert Hunter gave the cause of death as a "cardiac arrhythmia, exacerbated by exposure to solvents".
Cardiac arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm leading the heart to beat too fast or too slowly, which can lead to cardiac arrest or sudden death.
Dr Hunter said he was satisfied that Unilever, the manufacturer of the Lynx brand used by Daniel, gave enough warning on its cans that excessive amounts were not to be used in confined spaces.
He said: "It seems the presence of a volatile agent caused the cardiac arrhythmia.
"Daniel copiously used deodorant in the bathroom.
"I do not know how many people read the warnings about exposure awareness.
"But people need to know about the risks that these products have on the cardio-vascular system."
A verdict of accidental death was returned.
'KNOW THE RISKS': Coroner Dr Robert Hunter and a can of Lynx Vice
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