INHALANTS — Are You Aware of the Danger?
There have been many studies conducted by health organizations on the use of inhalants by teenagers. The final analysis of these studies showed, There is an alarming increase in the use of inhalants by teens.The improper use of inhalants is dangerous and can be life threatening or fatal to the abusers.
The word inhalant refers to chemicals, usually in liquid form (solvent), that are sniffed or inhaled in order to achieve a high.
There are over 1,000 types of inhalants. These inhalants are products people use in their home everyday, and they are products used in businesses throughout the United States and in many parts of the world. Some commonly used inhalants reportedly abused by teens are: glues, paint thinners, hair sprays, fingernail polish removers, typewriter correction fluids, gasoline, whipped cream propellants, and antiseptic sprays.
Inhalants are divided into three groups:
- Solvents are chemicals in liquid form. They can be dissolved or broken down easily, and when exposed to air, they may evaporate quickly or give off fumes.
- Aerosols are in the form of sprays. These sprays are distributed in containers such as cans or plastic bottles. Hair sprays, antiseptic medicine, and paint are a few of the products that come in aerosol spray.
- Nitrites such as nitrous oxide, commonly called "laughing gas," are used in the medical field as a painkiller (anesthetic).
Although these forms of inhalants are legal for their intended purposes, chemicals in inhalants are poisonous and inflammable. Most containers of inhalant products list warnings of the possible dangers by misuse and mishandling of the products. Warnings such as the following can be found on product labels:
- Hazards to humans and domestic animals.
- Avoid contamination of food and foodstuffs.
- Caution: Flammable. Do not spray while smoking or near fire.
- Intentional misuse by deliberately concentrating and inhaling the contents can be harmful or fatal.
A person intentionally abusing any dangerous substance can expect various changes in their behavior; these changes can be detrimental to their physical and mental health.
Inhalant abuse can cause:
- Dizziness, sleeplessness, fatigue
- Temporary loss of consciousness
- Headaches
- Hallucinations
- Loss of appetite
- Shortness of breath
- Blood in urine
- Double vision
- Suffocation
- Asphyxiation
- Depression (this can lead to suicide)
- Cardiac arrest (the heart may beat very fast and irregularly, then suddenly stop)
- Addiction (can increase the desire to try other drugs)
- Permanent brain damage
This report was compiled from information obtained from Natonya Hall of Boston, Massachusetts, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Massachusetts Prevention Center's booklet, Inhalants, with additional information from Inhalants, The Toxic Fumes.
* Reprinted from Positive Teens Magazine Volume 1 Issue 4, Sept/Oct 1999
{ Back to Health & Fitness }
|
USA.
®, ACCENTUATING THE POSITIVE IN TODAY'S TEENS are registered trademarks
of publisher.