Police in the United Kingdom are warning about a dangerous new trend of teens lighting plastic garbage cans on fire and inhaling their fumes.
Authorities were prompted to speak out about the bizarre new craze after several "extremely dangerous" incidents were reported in the Greater Manchester area, the Mirror reports.
Dyes used to make the trash cans - more commonly known as wheelie bins in the U.K. - emit a fume when lit on fire that can produce a high when inhaled, much like other solvents such as glue or gas. Fumes from the plastic bins, however, are "highly toxic" and reportedly more dangerous than other solvents.
Also at The Sun and Manchester Evening News.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 02 2019, @12:27AM
You are right, plastic burning liberates nasty dioxins that are highly carcinogenic.
Dangerous Health Effects of Home Burning of Plastics and Waste [www.wecf.eu]
Dioxins and cancer – another piece of the chemical puzzle [cancerresearchuk.org].