Ultimate Price for Smelling Nice
Disqualified 7 June 2003
Disqualified based on the fact that the young man showed
clear signs of a mental disease -- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder -- and was
therefore not able to control his actions.
Rule Violation: Incapable of Sound Judgement
(29 July 1998, England)
Jonathan was discovered dead by his sister Natalie in Manchester. His body was found surrounded by cans of aerosol deodorant in the bedroom of his home in Whitebank Road. Attempts to revive him failed.
The 17-year-old apparently bathed four times a day. His father Keith reported that his Jonathan doused his entire body in several kinds of deodorant at least twice a day, a routine begun six months before he died. His parents often complained they could "taste" the aerosols downstairs. "When we told him he was using too much, he said he just wanted to smell good," his father recalled. "What a price to pay for smelling nice."
It is hypothesized that propane and butane, primary propellants in aerosol sprays, built up in Jonathan's body during months of high use. His blood contained 0.37mg/L of each toxin, nearly ten times the lethal dosage, when he suffered cardiac arrest.
The coroner, Barrie Williams, recorded a verdict of accidental death, citing no evidence of substance abuse. "He was simply overcome by excessive use of anti-perspirants in a confined space."
Jonathan's mother Louise is calling for more prominent warnings on deodorant canisters. "We knew he didn't go in for solvent abuse. He was just being very meticulous about his grooming." Sue Rogers, from the British Aerosol Manufacturing Association, said the death was tragic but reiterated the aerosol deodorants are perfectly safe
Submitted by: Richard Bacon
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