Woman found dead in Abbotsford Park in July died from huffing

VANCOUVER – The Abbotsford Police Department says a 36-year-old woman who was found dead in Mill Lake Park in July died from huffing.

The 36-year-old woman lived in Mission and was found in the park in the early morning hours of July 20. The woman was in regular contact with her family outside B.C. and lived with her two dogs, but police say unfortunately she also used compressed gas to get high. Six cans of computer cleaner or dusters were found close to her body.

According to the coroner, she died of a fatal exposure to difluoroethane gas. Compressed gas dusters and other products are used to clean keyboards and other electronic equipment. However, they also contain chemicals such as tetrafluoroethane or difluoroethane, which can have devastating effects on the lungs, central nervous system and brain when inhaled.

Abbotsford Police said in a release that they wanted to share the cause of death as a message of prevention to others and offer condolences to the woman’s family and friends.