Deodorant taken off shelves at Windaroo IGA to crack down on chroming

A Windaroo supermarket has been forced to take aerosol cans of deodorant off its shelves after claims children as young as 11 were stealing them for chroming.

A WINDAROO supermarket has been forced to take aerosol cans of deodorant off its shelves after claims children as young as 11 were stealing them for chroming.

Store owner Bronwyn Watson said she had caught children stealing cans three times.

Store owner Bronwyn Watson with a bag of empty Rexona cans she found outside her shop, where teens have been stealing the aerosol for chroming. The cans are now kept behind the counter. PHOTO: JUDITH KERR

Windaroo IGA owner Peter Watson keeps the cans of Rexona deodorant behind the counter. PHOTO: JUDITH KERR

Cans of aerosol deodorant sold at the IGA at Windaroo. Mrs Watson said only cans of Rexona were being stolen for chroming.

“I’ve got footage of kids stealing the cans and I’ve got the empty cans being left behind from where they have been sitting with them,” Mrs Watson said.

“I spoke to security guards at other centres and apparently it is only Rexona that they are stealing.

“I’ve probably had about 20 cans stolen in the past two weeks. We believe the police are aware of these kids too because they have been barred from shopping centres in Beenleigh apparently.”

Windaroo IGA-X where children in care have been stealing cans of deodorant for chroming.

Logan Police District Inspector Glenn Allen said he was unaware of chroming at Windaroo but said chroming incidents had been reported in Woodridge.

Logan Inspector Glenn Allen.

“Our crime prevention unit has been working with schools and retailers to bring about awareness to the dangers of this practice,” he said.

Mrs Watson said three empty cans of deodorant were found in the toilet block of the IGA at Windaroo last month.

The toilet block at the IGA Windaroo where three empty bottles of Rexona have been found in the past two weeks.

She said staff at the centre were vigilant and some working at night at the next door Domino’s Pizza store had to chase two kids who were chroming while walking down the driveway at the centre.

IGA Windaroo is not the first to experience the deodorant chroming problem.

Foodworks at Charters Towers was one of the first stores in the state to remove the deodorant from shelves and put it behind the counter.

Burge Foodworks owner Christine Burge was forced to move the deodorant display to the front of the store following a string of thefts, believed to be related to chroming.

Unilever Australia, which makes Rexona, refused to answer questions about how many people had died from chroming in Queensland or what ingredient gave people the high.

However, it said it took chroming very seriously and worked with industry associations around the world to teach young people about the dangers of solvent abuse.

“We believe it is important that national authorities and drug education experts continue to take a lead on this issue, working in close partnership with manufacturers and retailers,” it said. “All of our products are clearly labelled with guidelines detailing how to use aerosols safely and carry warning and caution statements regarding the misuse of the product.”

Calls to ban the sale of Rexona to children under 18 were made this month in Victoria. Jessica Werner, the mother of a 14-year-old boy who died from sniffing Rexona in 2016, said the chemicals in the deodorant could be lethal and should not be sold to minors.

Jessica Werner's son Phoenix died in 2016 after inhaling deodorant to get a high. She wants deodorants banned to children under 18. Picture: Peter Ristevski

Ms Werner said she would never truly overcome the heartache of losing her son.

“Kids should not be using deodorant in this way. You can die from it. There is a huge risk,” Ms Werner said.

Butane, the gas found in aerosol sprays, is the same gas found in lighter fluid. When it is inhaled, the fumes enter the bloodstream quickly and slow down brain activity.

Mrs Watson said she was proud her store supported local suppliers and brands but wanted the community to know the dangers of sniffing the deodorant.

“We need to get people talking about this so they realise it’s life or death.”