


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-EMERGENCYNET NEWS SVC.-08/01/92-1200CDT

YOUTHS DIE BY INHALING HOUSEHOLD SUBSTANCES
By Clark Staten, EMT-P

Chicago, IL - A little known but deadly problem
is lurking in almost everyone's garage, cabinet, and cleaning
closet.  The source of this emergency is for sale in most
convenience and grocery stores in every suburb in America.
This menace takes hundreds, and maybe thousands of youthful
lives each year.  Most people have no idea of the magnitude
of the issue.  It has been declared one of the "gateway
substances" that leads to the use of "harder" drugs.  The
source of this scourge is Inhalant abuse.

A typical Inhalant abuser is 14-16 year old, can be of any
race or ethnic origin, probably abuses inhalant substances
with one or two friends, and doesn't understand what he or
she is "getting into", according to Catherine Macintyre of the
International Institute of Inhalant Abuse.  Macintyre says
that one of the biggest problems involving this burgeoning
issue is the fact that most people don't even recognize that
there is one.

There are more 1,400 known substances that are categorized as
capable of being abused by inhalation.  They include
hydrocarbons, nitrites, anesthetics, alcohols, and
halogen compounds.  Some typical name-brand substances
that have been frequently abused are; airplane glue,
Scotchgard, Pam, carbon-tetrachloride, gasoline, paint
thinner, Butane, "White-Out" correction fluid, color markers,
and other items too many to mention.

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA),
while abuse of several other drugs is declining
among younger people, inhalant abuse appears to be
increasing.  Dr. Neil R. Rosenberg, a neurologist from the
Colorado Neurological Institute at the Swedish Medical Center
in Denver, Colorado, was quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times as
saying; "They do it because either it's not illegal or
there's a law that nobody knows about or enforces . . . and
because it's available".  Rosenberg says that Illinois is one
of only four states that have laws prohibiting inhalant
abuse.

Ms. Macintyre, who helps Dr. Rosenberg to study the
neurological effects of inhalant abuse, says that most of the
substances that are abused are entirely legal to obtain and
possess and that they are "cheap" to purchase.  She says that
many adult's unfamiliarity with the abuse properties of
inhalant substances also contributes to the attractiveness of
them for youngsters.  Most of the products are readily
available and can be purchased at any neighborhood hardware,
hobby, convenience, or grocery store.

Often, teen-agers are abusing inhalants, almost in front of a
parent or teacher, without their knowledge. Macintrye also
says that youths of today abuse potentially toxic substances
because they "like the high" or feeling of euphoria that is
produced by them.  She also says that most teens do not
recognize the physical dangers that are associated with
inhalants.  Lastly, Macintyre fears that inhalant abuse has
become the "In Thing" to do in some neighborhood high
schools, and that "peer pressure" will prompt others to
experiment with it.

Dr. Rosenberg told EmergencyNet NEWS that many of the
substances are extremely hazardous to their target organ, the
brain.  They can be very damaging to irreplaceable brain
cells and eventually lead to various kinds of organic brain
syndromes, convulsions, coma, or even cardiac arrest.  Worse
yet, according to medical professionals, is the fact that few
young people are successfully resuscitated following inhalant
induced cardiac arrythmias.  Statistically, most children
that suffer cardiac arrest are eventually pronounced dead.
Rosenberg said that some reactions to inhalant abuse can
cause almost immediate death.

Two of the most difficult problems involving inhalant abuse
are those of recognition of the problem and funding for
additional research to quantify the issue.  Recognition of
the problem can be increased by adults being aware of some signs

and symptoms of inhalant abuse.  Some of them
include; intoxicated appearance, odor of a foreign substance
on the breath, "chemical smells" on the clothing, paint or
other stains on the clothing, confusion, muscle tremors,
chronic cough in the absence of disease or smoking,
visual disturbances, hallucinations, sores or rash around the
mouth or nose, severe headaches, convulsions, and possible
sudden death.

When asked about the total number of deaths caused by
inhalant abuse each year, Ms. Macintyre said that no one has
"exact" mortality statistics, because there is
no official agency that has the responsibility to track these
numbers.  Anecdotal evidence, on the other hand, would
suggest that this may be a major problem that hasn't been
adequately addressed.  At least four cases of known inhalant
abuse have caused deaths and media attention, in the Chicago
area during the past year.  Discussions with area paramedics
and law enforcement agencies suggest that many more youths
are using the legal, but deadly substances.

According to the International Institute of Inhalant Abuse
(IIIA), they are the only agency known to be receiving
funding for study of this enigma.  And . . .  they say that the
funding that they are receiving is only for the analysis of
the neurological effects of inhalant abuse, not for
prevention, education, or treatment programs.  Reportedly, no
other funding is provided by the National Institute of Drug
Abuse (NIDA) or any other federal agency to combat this
growing problem.

Experts hypothesize that as law enforcement efforts continue
to make the use of cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and other
illicit drugs more costly and difficult to obtain, that more
of our nation's youth will turn to "legal" inhalant abuse for
the "high" that they crave.  The IIIA says that they hope
that the public will soon recognize the dangers that
inhalants pose, and resources will soon be made available to
study and help to resolve the inhalant abuse dilemma.

(c) EmergencyNet NEWS Service, 1992
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