There are three main product categories: solvents gases and medical drugs which are used illicitly.Ĭomputer-cleaning dusters are dangerous to inhale because the gases expand and cool rapidly upon being sprayed.Ī number of gases intended for household or industrial use are inhaled as recreational drugs. A small number of recreational inhalant drugs are pharmaceutical products that are used illicitly.Īnother way to categorize inhalants is by their product category. Most inhalant drugs that are used non-medically are ingredients in household or industrial chemical products that are not intended to be concentrated and inhaled. Inhalants can be classified by their intended function. In the US, thirty-eight of 50 states have enacted laws making various inhalants unavailable to those under the age of 18 or making inhalant use illegal. While solvent glue is normally a legal product, a Scottish court ruled that supplying glue to children is illegal if the store knows the children intend to inhale the glue. Įven though many inhalants are legal, there have been legal actions taken in some jurisdictions to limit access by minors. Brain damage is typically seen with chronic long-term use of solvents as opposed to short-term exposure. In some cases, users have died from hypoxia (lack of oxygen), pneumonia, heart failure or arrest, or aspiration of vomit. As with any recreational drug, users can be injured due to dangerous behavior while they are intoxicated, such as driving under the influence. Some inhalant users are injured due to the harmful effects of the solvents or gases or due to other chemicals used in the products that they are inhaling. The effects of inhalants range from an alcohol-like intoxication and intense euphoria to vivid hallucinations, depending on the substance and the dose. The practices are known colloquially as "sniffing", "huffing" or "bagging". Inhalant users inhale vapor or aerosol propellant gases using plastic bags held over the mouth or by breathing from a solvent-soaked rag or an open container. live on the streets completely without family ties." Inhalants are the only substance used more by younger teenagers than by older teenagers. According to a 1995 report by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the most serious inhalant use occurs among homeless children and teenagers who ". These products are used as recreational drugs for their intoxicating effect. While a few inhalants are prescribed by medical professionals and used for medical purposes, as in the case of inhaled anesthetics and nitrous oxide (an anxiolytic and pain relief agent prescribed by dentists), this article focuses on inhalant use of household and industrial propellants, glues, fuels, and other products in a manner not intended by the manufacturer, to produce intoxication or other psychoactive effects. For example, amyl nitrite ( poppers), nitrous oxide and toluene – a solvent widely used in contact cement, permanent markers, and certain types of glue – are considered inhalants, but smoking tobacco, cannabis, and crack are not, even though these drugs are inhaled as smoke or vapor. They are inhaled at room temperature through volatilization (in the case of gasoline or acetone) or from a pressurized container (e.g., nitrous oxide or butane), and do not include drugs that are sniffed after burning or heating. Inhalants are a broad range of household and industrial chemicals whose volatile vapors or pressurized gases can be concentrated and breathed in via the nose or mouth to produce intoxication, in a manner not intended by the manufacturer.
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