Increase in Teen Deaths due to Blowguns

The Journal Pediatrics published a report on a danger that is cropping up with young teenage boys. Several hospitals have reported boys being admitted for swallowing blowgun darts. Dr. Kris Jatana one of the authors of the report and a pediatric head and neck surgeon at Nationwide Children’s Hospital explains how the boys are getting injured.  “The dart itself is propelled through a type of tube and when somebody breathes in to create the force by which to propel the dart within the tube, if the tube is in the mouth, the dart can be aspirated directly into the airway.” The Journal Pediatrics report stated that teenage boys are finding instructions on how to make blowguns on the internet. Researchers are encouraging parents to speak to their teenage boys about this latest internet danger.