Inhalant abuse: Help your child understand the risks

What's so dangerous about a bottle of spray paint or can of deodorant spray? Plenty.

Sniffing these common household products can provide a quick high. The phenomenon is known as inhalant abuse.

Inhalants are inexpensive and commonly available in grocery stores, hardware stores and pharmacies. Kids can easily conceal the products in their jackets, backpacks, closets or dresser drawers. But the risks are real — and potentially lethal.

What are inhalants?

Inhalants are ordinary household products, including paint thinner, shoe polish, room freshener and correction fluids. Deliberately sniffing or inhaling concentrated amounts of these products can produce a quick, powerful high, usually by depressing the central nervous system.

Would you recognize an inhalant if you saw one? Look for these chemicals:

• Acetone. It's found in nail polish remover, rubber cement and permanent markers.
• Butane. It's found in lighter fluid, gasoline, spray paint, hair spray, room fresheners and deodorant.
• Chlorinated hydrocarbons. These are found in dry cleaning agents, spot removers, degreasers and correction fluids.
• Fluorocarbons. Common offenders include analgesic sprays, spray paint, hair spray, deodorant and room fresheners.
• Propane. It's found in spray paint, hair spray, room fresheners and deodorant.
• Toulene. It's found in paint thinner, spray paint, airplane glue, rubber cement, nail polish remover and shoe polish.

Kids who abuse inhalants often sniff them, either by snorting fumes from containers or spraying aerosols directly into their noses or mouths. Kids also may huff these products, soaking rags in inhalants and pressing the rags to their mouths. Sometimes fumes are inhaled from products poured into plastic or paper bags.

The extent of the problem

Inhalant abuse can start in elementary school and continue throughout adolescence. For some kids, inhalants are a cheap and accessible alternative to alcohol.

Inhalants are often among the first drugs that young kids use. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the number of new inhalant users reached 1 million in 2002. In 2004, more than 17 percent of American eighth-graders reported abusing inhalants at least once.

Health risks of inhalants

Kids who abuse inhalants often look and act as if they're intoxicated. Telltale signs may include:

• Euphoria followed by drowsiness
• Lightheadedness
• Dizziness
• Slurred speech
• Loss of coordination
• Hallucinations or delusions
• Agitation or irritability

To prolong or intensify the high, inhalant abusers may sniff or huff repeatedly over several hours. This often leads to loss of inhibition and control. Worst case, it can lead to loss of consciousness or death.

Once hooked, kids who abuse inhalants face additional health risks, including:

• Depression
• Depletion of oxygen in the blood, which leads to weakness and fatigue
• Loss of feeling, hearing and vision
• Damage to the brain, bone marrow, liver and kidneys

Some of these effects are reversible, but many are not — including hearing loss and brain damage.

If an inhalant causes the heart to begin working too hard, a rapid, irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) may lead to cardiac arrest. This can happen even to first-time inhalant abusers — especially those who abuse butane, propane and chemicals in aerosols. Inhalant abuse also can cause death by suffocation or choking.

Sometimes, death from inhalant abuse occurs indirectly. For example, a teenager may sniff inhalants, get behind the wheel and end up in a fatal car crash.

Sometimes, stopping inhalant abuse leads to withdrawal symptoms, such as sleep disturbances, irritability, nausea, vomiting, sweating, racing heartbeat, hallucinations or delusions.

Prevent inhalant abuse

As a parent, your stand on any form of chemical use makes a difference. Start talking — today.

• Discuss the risks. Open discussion can help prevent a tragedy. Talk about what products may be abused and slang terms for inhalants. State the facts clearly, emphasizing that inhalants are deadly chemicals and poisons — not a harmless way to get high.
• Be a good listener. Encourage your child to come to you with questions or concerns.
• Set expectations. Let your child know that you won't tolerate inhalant abuse. Remind your child that you love him or her — and safety comes first.
• Stay involved. Meet your child's friends. Know where your child is and what he or she is doing — especially after school. Support your child's efforts to resist peer pressure.
• Boost community awareness. Encourage teachers, counselors, coaches and others who work with kids to reinforce the message about the dangers of inhalant abuse and look for signs of potential abuse.

Stop inhalant abuse in its tracks

Look for these warning signs of inhalant abuse:

• Hidden rags, clothes or empty containers of products that may be abused
• Chemical odors on breath or clothing
• Paint or other stains on face, hands or clothing
• Slurred or incoherent speech
• Drunk or dazed appearance
• Nausea or loss of appetite
• Inattentiveness, lack of coordination, irritability or depression

If you discover your child abusing inhalants, stay calm. If your child is unconscious or not breathing, call 911 for emergency help. If your child is breathing, move to a well-ventilated area and call the local poison control center.

If inhalant abuse is a problem, seek professional help. Start with your child's doctor, a school counselor or a local drug rehabilitation facility. The support of a mental health professional may be valuable as well. With help, your child can learn how to make healthy choices for a lifetime.