When medically prescribed, inhalants can do the user a world of good and in some cases actually save their life. A person with severe asthma or other breathing disorders may need medication delivered immediately and directly to their lungs so that the organs contract and expand and function properly, and so that airways in the chest relax as they should. Without an inhalant a person with asthma could actually choke to death or would need to spend time in a hospital’s oxygen tent.
Top Statistics of Inhalants
Despite their dangers, these products are still very popular. Consider some surprising inhalants statistics from around the world.
1. One survey from the U.S., compiling information that spanned the years 2002 to 2006, found that some 593,000 teenagers from age 12 to age 17 had tried inhalants for the first time the year before the survey was conducted.
2. It’s estimated that some 22.9 million Americans of all ages have tried inhalants as a narcotic during their lifetime.
3. Statistics compiled in 2008 showed that one state in the U.S. saw some 3800 visits to the emergency room and 450 hospital stays in one year because of poisoning by inhalants.
4. About one in five students in the U.S. will have experimented with inhalants by the time they reach the eighth grade. In the year 2007, the most frequent users of inhalants were those between the age of 12 and 13.
5. First-time users of inhalants accounted for some 22% of those who died due to what is called Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome; they had no history of using inhalants previously.
6. The study European School Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs stated that some 20% of those between the age of 12 and 16 have experimented with inhalants.
7. Some 6000 children who live on the streets in Kenya are said to be addicted to inhalants of one form or another. Many are impoverished and are said to use the inhalants as a way to escape their lifestyle; the inhalants may also take off the edge of hunger and cold for these street children.
8. In the city of Karachi in Pakistan, 80% to 90% of the 14,000 children who live on the streets are said to regularly sniff glue or other solvents.
9. In 2006 the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health discovered that just over 1 million children from age 12 to 17 had tried inhalant use in the past year.
10. Inhalants come in four different forms and these include liquids which vaporize at room temperature and which include items like thinners, gasoline, glue, and degreasers; sprays would include spray paint, hair spray, and even deodorant; gasses and these may include vapors from propane tanks, refrigerants, and butane lighters; nitrites which are a special chemical compound found in items like leather cleaners and room deodorizers. Nitrites are sometimes used as sexual enhancers because of how they work on the brain and central nervous system.
11. While inhalants work by starving the body of oxygen, they can also cause rapid heartbeat and irregular heartbeat.
12. Nausea and nosebleeds are common with inhalant usage, and a person often loses their sense of smell or hearing. Chronic use contributes to wasting away of the muscles as well as damage to the lungs and immune system.
13. A person using inhalants feels their effects within seconds of their use. These effects may include slurred speech, hallucinations, headaches, a drunk or dizzy appearance or behavior, hostility, impaired judgment, and even unconsciousness.
14. Long-term use of inhalants may experience irritability and depression, disorientation, weakness of the muscles, memory impairment, hearing loss, diminished intelligence, lack of coordination, damage to one’s bone marrow, damage to the brain, heart, kidneys, liver and lungs.
15. Death due to the use of inhalants can occur at any time, including the first time they are used.
16. Addiction is common with the use of inhalants. They can be both physically and psychologically addictive, and many who use them report that they have a strong urge to continue their use even after using them for only a few days.
17. Those who withdraw their use of inhalants often experience sweating, cramps, severe nausea, chills, headaches, shaking, hallucinations, and even convulsions.
18. Inhalants themselves are not regulated by the U.S. federal government under what is called the Controlled Substances Act, however, some 38 states in the U.S. have restrictions when it comes to the sale and distribution of certain commonly used inhalants to minors. States have also enacted criminal fines and jail time for the sale and distribution of inhalants for the purpose of misuse.
19. Many states have laws against the recreational use of nitrous oxide or “laughing gas.”
20. Many areas of western and south Australia have laws that make sniffing petrol or gas a criminal offense. In some areas police are allowed to search a person if they have reason to believe that he or she is in possession of an inhalant for recreational use and confiscate it.
21. England and Wales have enacted similar laws; it is illegal to sell inhalants to minors if a retailer has reason to believe they will use it for the purposes of intoxication.
22. The use of inhalants for the purpose of intoxication is believed to date back to pre-biblical times, when inhalants were used for both recreational and religious purposes. In the 1800’s, anesthetics such as chloroform and nitrous oxide were also commonly used for recreational purposes. These were considered a cheap alternative to alcohol. Ether was popular in the U.S. in the 1920’s during prohibition, when alcohol was illegal and therefore not readily available.
23. The 1960’s also saw the use of inhalants for recreational purposes, with many turning to common household products like nail polish remover, shoe polish, paint thinners, and the like.
The statistics show that inhalants are very common but this does not mean they are not dangerous. The chemicals contained in solvents and other compounds damage the brain and nervous system; workers exposed to these chemicals and vapors are given layers of protective gear and a breathing apparatus to protect themselves because of the damage they can cause. Those who are inadvertently exposed to them and who suffer physical and psychological damage may even have grounds for a civil lawsuit.
Health Impact and Effects
As with all medications and medical devices, misuse of these inhalants can cause damage to various internal organs including the brain. While an asthma inhalant works to open up lungs and breathing passages, other inhalants can be as damaging as narcotics and work as poisons in the system.
Everyday substances found in a home or workplace may contain mind-altering substances that affect the body’s chemistry and the brain function when these are inhaled. These inhalants may include glue, paint, solvents, paint thinners, and other such products. The vapors of these products contain chemicals that interact with the body’s chemistry and in turn, can act as narcotics.
Typically these products are used by teens and young adults and have become especially popular because the products containing these vapors are available for legal purchase at local retail stores. They are also easy to use and easy to hide from others. These products are also very popular in low-income areas where other narcotics can be expensive for teens.
Warnings
Parents especially should be alert to the dangers of these compounds and should be on the lookout for symptoms of their use with their teens and pre-teens. Chemicals and solvents should be kept secured in the home especially when parents are away, simply as a precaution. It’s also good for parents to talk to teens and preteens about the dangers of using these substances. Often teens believe that because something is legally available over the counter, it cannot be dangerous to them and they may begin to experiment with readily available substances such as glue or paint thinners they find at home. Teens also don’t typically realize that the feeling of being “high” is actually the body being starved of oxygen, and in turn this causes cell death even in the brain. They may also not realize that the vapors from liquids are so toxic that workers are required to have protection when exposed to these on a long-term basis.
Reports from those who have tried inhalants reveal that they are quickly addictive; many report becoming addicted within the first few uses, if not even from their first use of inhalants. Some have also reported that after using inhalants, they began to experiment with other drugs including cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines. Their addictions also reportedly cost them thousands of dollars every year and in some cases also interfered with their ability to hold a job or maintain relationships with others, as is often the case with regular narcotics use; some even report resorting to stealing and other criminal behavior to support their habit.
Despite the dangers, the use of inhalants is apparently not decreasing in the U.S. and elsewhere and legislation continues to be proposed to monitor the use and sale of these especially to teens. Some countries are following the lead of Australia, England, and the U.S. and investigating how inhalants are bought and sold. They are also putting more pressure on retailers to use caution in selling these to teens, and are also cracking down on the possession of these for obvious recreational use. Public service announcements against the use of inhalants are also becoming common especially in the U.S., and many schools are also including these substances in their anti-drug campaigns to raise awareness of their dangers and discourage their use.