Teenager died after inhaling aerosol deodorant, inquest hears

A girl who inhaled from a can of deodorant died as a result of misadventure, a coroner has ruled.

Sarah Mescall (14), of Kilnamona, Co Clare, who was described as a happy and healthy teenager, died on September 25th, 2023, at Dublin’s Crumlin Hospital.

At Dublin District Coroner’s Court on Monday, her father Joe sat with his arm around her mother Deirdre as statements they made earlier were read out.

In her statement Ms Mescall said she had received a phone call at about 4.30pm on September 20th, 2023, asking her to collect Sarah after school. She said Sarah was in good spirits and the girl went up to her room.

Ms Mescall said she was making the family dinner when Sarah shouted down to her, seeking advice about what clothes she would need to go to the Ploughing Championships the following day.

She said she later saw Sarah swaying and “looked as if she was drunk”.

When Ms Mescall repeatedly questioned Sarah about what she had taken, the teenager at first said “nothing” and then said she had inhaled deodorant.

Ms Mescall said Sarah then collapsed and she tried to detect a pulse on her daughter, but there was none, so she started chest compression on her.

Mr Mescall said in his statement he had come home from work and met Sarah, who was “in great form” before she went to her room.

He said he was sitting on a chair in the sittingroom when he heard the commotion upstairs. He went up and found Sarah lying on the floor while his wife was trying to resuscitate her and he called an ambulance.

Mr Mescall said two neighbours also came and tried to resuscitate his daughter, eventually giving way to advanced paramedics who had arrived by helicopter.

Sarah was flown to Limerick University Hospital and her parents followed by car. Mr Mescall said he and his wife were given hope when told by medical staff that Sarah had “some spontaneous breathing”.

A decision was taken to transfer Sarah to Temple Street children’s hospital in Dublin and later to Crumlin hospital. A combination of tests performed at both hospitals over several days confirmed her brain had been starved of oxygen.

Sarah was declared dead on the morning of September 25th, 2023, and the family took the decision to donate her organs for transplant.

Dublin district coroner Dr Cróna Gallagher said there was no evidence that Sarah “had ever done this before”.

She said Sarah had been a happy and healthy teenager and the occasion “may well have been the first time” she had inhaled deodorant.

The coroner said she would record a verdict of “misadventure”, an “accidental death resulting from the use of the substance in that way”.