Addyson Wright

HLTH-1050-048
Paul M Roberts
April 13, 2016
Research Paper

Inhalant Abuse
Inhalant abuse seems to be a current drug issue right now. It has been around
for quite some time, first dating back into the early 1800s, where ether and nitrous
oxide were two prominent examples. Today, inhalants include aerosol cans, glues, and
even dusters. These can be abused by inhaling these products on purpose to give you
a mental high. Dust-Off or other aerosolized cans of compressed air are common
household and office cleaners used for dusting your home or cleaning out your
computer keyboard is the newest trend for getting high for teenagers. The act is being
called huffing, and it is ultimately inhalant abuse. This is becoming more and more
popular among teenagers. The act of dusting is performed by inhaling the air out of a
can or from these products, almost as you would inhale helium out of a balloon. This
drug is addictive and has many possible side effects and can sometimes lead to death.
Although many parents are appropriately concerned about illicit drugs such as
marijuana, cocaine, and LSD, they often ignore the dangers around their children from
common household products that contain volatile solvents or aerosols.
Dust-Off has dangerous ingredients like chemical vapors such as Freon type of
gas or fluorinated hydrocarbon that abusers will inhale on purpose to obtain a mental
high. The high from this gas gives users a few minutes of parallelization and a euphoric
feeling. In an article I read from Today by Peter Alexander, someone he interviewed
gave the following statement about how he felt while taking his hit: I couldn't move for
three to four minutes, and I was staring at a door thinking I wanted to get up and go and
touch it and I couldn't do it," says Goudberg. "It's one of the scariest feelings in the
world." (Alexander)
So if it is indeed one of the scariest feelings in the world, why is it rising to become
one of the most popular drugs to abuse? Inhalant experimentation is initiated earlier
than any other illicit drug. In 2010, a NSDUH (National Survey on Drug Use and Health)
survey reported that a higher percentage of 12 and 13 year olds abused inhalants
before marijuana, 68% of primary population of inhalant abusers are 18 years old and
younger and that females typically start before males. In 2011, 7% of eighth graders,
4.5% of tenth graders, and 3.2% of Seniors in high school reported abuse. The
reported abuse has decreased from its 1990s peak, however it is still a big problem and
could be getting bigger again, especially among the younger generation.
Usually inhalants are very easily accessible, as they can be used from household
cleaners or keyboard cleaners. Although, Dust-Off and aerosol spray cleaners along
with keyboard cleaners are the most common for teenagers to use, there are many
others that can be used to give the same effect and just as, if not more, reachable.
These products include: paint thinner, gasoline, deodorant, nail polish remover, felt tip
markers, hair care products like hairspray, or laughing gas at the dentists office. In the
same article as the one mentioned earlier, 18 year old Jessie Stotz says this about
inhalant products: "There wasn't the hassle of finding somebody to buy it for you and

stuff, you could walk into a store, being 13 years old, and buy it yourself. (Alexander).
This could be why it is so popular among children and teenagers. Curiosity, peer
pressure, and media often play a huge roll as well. In the 2003 movie, Thirteen, the
opening scene showed two girls huffing and then slapping each other to get them out
of their trancelike states. However, sometimes a slap doesnt get you out of it, as easy
as it looked in this movie. Other movies huffing was shown in include:
The Basketball Diaries (1995)
Love Liza (2001)
Little Shop of Horrors (1985)
Life as a House (2001).
The effects of using this drug can be very dangerous and takes a serious toll on
your health, and can also be fatal. Effects include dizziness, a euphoric sensation,
lightheadedness, hallucinations, impaired judgment, and even permanent damage to
your brain. Being a long-term inhalant abuser can prompt even more serious
consequences such as depression, weight loss, weakness, irritability and lack of
coordination. More serious and irreversible health issues that can be obtained from
chronic inhalant abuse include liver, kidney, lung and brain damage. Perhaps the most
frightening and serious is cardiac arrest which is fatal, and can happen to first time
users after only one hit. Sudden Sniffing Death provokes irregular heart rhythms which
can lead to cardiac arrest (Stoppler); this is the most common practice by first time
users.
The more preventative steps that can be taken to stop inhalant abuse by people,
especially teenagers, the statistics will decrease and that is the ultimate goal. A
measure that has been taken in the past has been stores such as Walmart have started
to restricted age limits to 18 years old and putting bigger warning labels on top of the
cans or products. Another one is manufacturing companies have added chemicals that
give these products a bitter smell and/or taste in hopes to prevent inhalant abuse of
their products. Other prevention methods include making sure your teenagers know the
dangers of these products and are careful to read warning labels and obviously to stay
away from harmful products like these.
Inhalant abuse is not as obvious as other drug abuse might be, which makes it harder to
prevent and detect. However, some signs that a person may be abusing these products
are:
strange smells around the area,
dazed or bloodshot eyes,
empty cans in the garbage,
residue on the persons clothes or face,
And disappearance of the products at very fast rates.
Inhalant abuse is a really major and dangerous problem, and it seems to be
growing at a rapid pace. However, some people think it is a back seat problem
compared to other widely and more publicized drugs. (Levinthal) This could become a
really big problem, as big as the other concerns, if it continues to grow. The effects are
scary and very dangerous, and can often lead to fatal incidents. Children and teenagers
are very curious and we, as a society, need to educate not only them but everyone on
the dangers and risks of this new and upcoming drug.
Alexander, Peter. "'Dusting' is the new killer high for teens." TODAY.com. N.p., n.d. Web.

8 May 2014. <http://www.today.com/id/8714725/ns/today/t/dusting-new-killer-high-teens/

#.U2rSavPnbIU>.
Stoppler, MD, Melissa. "Huffing (Inhalant Abuse) Symptoms, Signs, Abuse Information MedicineNet." MedicineNet. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2014. <http://www.medicinenet.com/
script/main/art.asp?articlekey=47975>.
"The Best Huffing Movies." Ranker. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2014. <http://
www.ranker.com/list/best-huffing-movies-list/all-genre-movies-lists>.
"Top 5 Household Items Abused by Teenagers." Top 5 Household Items Abused by
Teenagers. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2014. <http://www.clearviewtreatment.com/
household-items-abused-by-teenagers.html>.
Levinthal, Charles F.. Drugs, behavior, and modern society. 8th ed. Boston: Allyn and
Bacon, 2002. Print.