SYRACUSE -- Marijuana and cigarettes dipped in embalming fluid or "water", as it is known on the street, have been around for years but use of the chemical, especially by teens in Syracuse, is on the rise.
Dr. Elizabeth Berry works for Crouse Hospital's Chemical Treatment Services. Dr. Berry says inhaling embalming fluid, especially when laced with other chemicals such as PCP, can cause violent unpredictable behavior and lead to serious side effects.
Dr. Berry says most teens are not aware how dangerous embalming fluid is. One reason perhaps are videos on YouTube which seem to glorify the smoking of embalming fluid laced cigarettes.
Right now, police don't track the use of embalming fluid because it is not illegal although some say it should be. In the meantime, police and health care workers are urging parents to educate their children about the dangers of using embalming fluid to get high...a chemical that should only be used in bodies long after they're dead.
