THESE Alvin and the Chipmunks wannabes are lucky to be alive.

They inhaled helium from a tank to produce the high-pitched, squeaky voices similar to those of some cartoon characters.

What the ITE College East students didn't realise was that inhaling helium from a tank can kill you.

Netizen Henry stumbled on videos of the boys uploaded online by a school mate.

He submitted videos entitled "ITE students take turns inhaling helium just for kicks" to the online citizen journalism portal Stomp.

The students are shown taking turns to inhale helium from two tanks and then spoke or sang in "chipmunk" voices.

They did this repeatedly as others laughed at them.

Helium changes the resonances of the vocal tract and affects the timbre of the voice, making it sound squeaky.

In response to The New Paper's queries, Mr Chong Leong Fatt, ITE College East's director of college services, said: "We are aware of the isolated incident, which happened during an external event held at the college. We have reminded our estates department to ensure that helium tanks are placed in a secure place.

"Our student care officers have talked to the students involved. They admitted being curious about the effects of helium.

"They have been counselled on the possible hazards of their actions."

The New Paper understands that the organisers had left the tanks unattended during the event.

Personal Opinion:

I felt that these boys are immature for such behaviors and they are lucky to be alive, as inhaling helium can kills. Instead of being curious over the effects of helium, they could be curious of other meaningful things.

The school mate which have taken the video could have inform a teacher too.

I think that the institution should have enforced and take safety precaution more seriously