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INHALANTS
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Inhalants fall into the following categories:
SOLVENTS
 industrial or household solvents or solvent-containing products, including paint thinners or
solvents, degreases (dry-cleaning fluids), gasoline and glues
art or office supply solvents, including correction fluids, felt-tip-marker fluid, and electronic contact cleaners
GASES
gases used in household or commercial products, including butane lighters and propane tanks, whipping cream aerosols or dispensers (whippets), and refrigerant gases
household aerosol propellants and associated solvents in items such as spray paints, hair or deodorant sprays, and fabric protector sprays
medical anaesthetic gases, such as ether, chloroform, halothane, and nitrous oxide (laughing gas)
NITRITES Aliphatic nitrites, including cyclohexyl nitrite, which is available to the general public; amyl nitrite, "Poppers" is freely available and butyl nitrite, which is now an illegal substance.
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WHAT ARE THEY?
Inhalants are breathable chemical vapours that produce psychoactive (mind-altering) effects.
Although people are exposed to volatile solvents and other inhalants in the home and the workplace,
many do not think of inhalable substances as drugs because most of them were never meant to be used
in that way.
Young people are likely to abuse inhalants, in part because inhalants are readily available and
inexpensive. Sometimes children unintentionally misuse inhalant products that are found in household
products. Parents should see that these substances are monitored closely so those young children
do not inhale them.
HOW ARE THEY SNIFFED
The substance us spread on a cloth and placed over the mouth and nose, or the cloth may be placed
in a paper or plastic bag and held tightly to the face.
Sniffing solvents is often associated with anti-social behaviour e.g. shoplifting, damage to
property and theft.
The person may also be aggressive, bunk school and lack concentration.
Sniffing seems to be the most common among street children, socially deprived youngsters, and
children experiencing serious family problems
Young sniffers are often curious and want to get "drunk" or "high" together.
WHY DO PEOPLE USE INHALANTS?
Many stop after they have experimented. If youngsters carry on sniffing substances it may mean that
they feel the need to escape from personal or social problems.
Although different in make-up, nearly all abused inhalants produce effects similar to anaesthetics,
which act to slow down the body's functions. When inhaled via the nose or mouth into the lungs in
sufficient concentrations, inhalants can cause intoxicating effects. Intoxication can last only a
few minutes or several hours if inhalants are taken repeatedly. Initially, users may feel slightly
stimulated; with successive inhalations, they may feel less inhibited and less in control;
finally, a user can lose consciousness.
SERIOUS but POTENTIALLY REVERSIBLE EFFECTS include:
 liver and kidney damage - toluene - containing substances and chlorinated hydrocarbons (correction fluids, dry-cleaning fluids)
Blood oxygen depletion - organic nitrites ("poppers", "bold" and "rush") and methylene chloride (varnish removers, paint thinners).
Bone marrow damage - benzene (gasoline)
Death from inhalants usually is caused by a very high concentration of fumes. Deliberately inhaling
from an attached paper or plastic bag or in a closed area greatly increases the chances of
suffocation. Even when using aerosols or volatile products for their legitimate purposes
(i.e. painting, cleaning), it is wise to do so in a well-ventilated room or outdoors.
Amyl and butyl nitrites have been associated with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), the most common cancer
reported among AIDS patients. Early studies of KS showed that many people with KS had used
volatile nitrites. Researchers are continuing to explore the hypothesis of nitrites as a
factor contributing to the development of KS in HIV-infected people.
HEALTH HAZARDS
Sniffing highly concentrated amounts of the chemicals in solvents or aerosol sprays can directly
induce heart failure and death. This is especially common from the abuse of flurocarbons
and butane-type gases. High concentrations of inhalants also cause death from suffocation
by displacing oxygen in the lungs and then in the central nervous system so that breathing ceases.
The user may also choke on vomiting. Other irreversible effects caused by inhaling specific
solvents are as follows:
Hearing loss - toluene (paint sprays, glues, dewaxers) and trichloroethylene (cleaning fluids)
Peripheral neuropathies of limb spasms - hexane (glues, gasoline) and nitrous oxide (whipping cream, gas cylinders)
Central nervous system or brain damage - toluene (paint sprays, glues, dewaxers)
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